


Bound

by FuryRed



Series: Tying the Knot [1]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, Bickering, Bitter Ex-Boyfriends, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Charles You Will Be Drunk, Erik Has Feelings, Erik is Crushing Harder than a 12-year Old Girl, Honestly Charles What Are You Thinking, M/M, Mob Boss Erik, Mutual Pining, Possessive Erik, Sexual Tension, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-11-14 20:57:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 52,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11216139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuryRed/pseuds/FuryRed
Summary: Is there anything worse than someone else’s wedding? Well, perhaps your sister’s wedding- where the groom justhasto invite his boss and that man just happens to be your ex-boyfriend; a person you had an extremely passionate and tumultuous relationship with that ended badly.Charles hadn’t seen Erik for a year by the time Raven had told him about the wedding. He wasn’t looking forward to the occasion, particularly when Raven explained that they would be celebrating the event with a two-week extravaganza at a luxury hotel, meaning that Charles would be forced to spend a whole fortnight with the man who he’d given everything to; the man who had ultimately broken his heart…





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

There were always bound to be a few awkward moments following a break up. Certain rites of passage to overcome: like deleting all traces of your ex from social media, dividing up the friends the two of you shared, and of course that first uncomfortable encounter with said person after you’re were no longer a couple.

Since his relationship with Erik had ended Charles had transversed all of these milestones with relative ease, but there was one more to come that he hadn’t foreseen.

Attending the same wedding as your ex. That, in itself, would be difficult enough- but for Charles the situation was made all the more uncomfortable by the fact that the wedding in question was not just a singular event- it was scheduled to last for two weeks…

Charles still remembered how thoroughly unimpressed he’d been when his sister Raven had told him the news. At first he’d been happy; Raven was getting married, she was excited about it and Charles couldn’t have been more pleased for her. Charles could even cope with the fact that she wanted to celebrate the union with a completely overblown affair; a two-week spectacular of parties and dinners and drinking and dancing.

It had always been in Raven’s nature to be showy. She’d been adopted by the Xavier family when she was very young, coming from a background that she refused to talk about but that Charles imagined to be one of nothing more than basic living, if not abject poverty. Charles’ childhood, in contrast, was lavish. He’d grown up in an opulent mansion, with servants and nannies at his constant beck and call, even if most times he would have just preferred the attention of his own mother than that of the help. When Raven had joined them she’d instantly embraced the finer things in life, and she’d continued to expect nothing but the very best all the way through into adulthood.

Given her history, it was no surprise to Charles that Raven wanted to celebrate her big day with a big event. What he hadn’t expected, however, was to see a certain name on the guestlist…

 

“I still can’t believe you invited my ex to your wedding”, Charles grumbled, glancing over at Raven briefly before turning his attention back to the road ahead of him.

Raven pulled an indignant face in return, looking over at Charles from where she sat in the passenger seat of the car- legs stretched out and feet resting on the dashboard in front of her.

“Charles, how could I not invite him?” Raven pouted, absently fiddling with her blonde hair. “He’s my fiancé’s boss- are you aware of how much of a social faux pas it would be to exclude him?”

“Oh I see; you can’t risk committing social suicide, but you have no problem with making me live through my own personal hell for two weeks?”

Raven rolled her eyes. “I think you’re being a _little bit_ melodramatic, Charles. You and Erik haven’t seen each other for, what, over a year now? Surely it’s not going to be that bad…”

Charles huffed out a sound of annoyance, but he didn’t respond. His mind was drifting- thinking about what Raven had said and what unknown strife was surely to come.

It would be bad- Charles was sure of it. His relationship with Erik had been intense and turbulent to say the least, and it hadn’t ended well. Who knew how hostile things would be when they finally saw each other again for the first time? Especially since their initial meeting hadn’t been any less contentious…

 

****

 

Charles shifted nervously in his seat, fiddling with the papers that he held in his hands as he waited to be called. He’d been working for Lehnsherr Corp. for three weeks now, and in that time he’d never been asked to see the head of the company before. There was no reason for him to really- Charles worked in the labs located in the lower levels of the building, and for the most part himself and his colleagues were just left to their own devices; as long as they produced their reports on time then no one bothered them. Charles had seen Lehnsherr Corp.’s owner and CEO maybe twice that he could recall, but they’d never officially met and Charles never really expected that they ever would.

It was ridiculous, really, that Charles had been struck by such a case of nerves when he’d been summoned to the top level of the building. He didn’t even really need this job- he had more than enough money thanks to a substantial inheritance from his parents, and the only reason he was working at all was because he considered himself a supporter of mutantkind and he’d wanted to contribute to the cause somehow. Okay, so maybe working for Lehnsherr Corp. wasn’t the smartest idea… They may have been advocates for mutant rights, but it was known to be a dedication bordering on obsession, and there were undeniable links between the company and the rather more extreme Brotherhood of Mutants; an organisation that had been implicated in numerous illegal activities.

Charles told himself he would only work for the company for a little while- just to see what it was all about and to conduct some research of his own. But then he had started to enjoy himself, he had made friends, and suddenly leaving seemed like the furthest thing from his mind. He was happy there; his job wasn’t particularly demanding and he loved the work.

Of course, that was until the day he’d met Erik…

“You can go in now”.

Charles glanced up to see a woman in a smart outfit looking over at him. She smiled cordially before opening the door behind her a bit wider and gesturing for Charles to enter. He rose from his seat slowly, edging over to the door and stepping inside- looking behind him as he waited for the woman to follow, but she didn’t- she just smiled again and Charles distinctly heard her think _“Good luck”_ , before she exited and closed the door.

“Take a seat”.

Charles turned around to find the head of the company watching him from where he sat behind his desk. Erik Lehnsherr was a formidable force- an intense man with penetrating eyes who was known for being somewhat demanding at the best of times. He regarded Charles evenly- dressed in a smart outfit with braces across his chest, fingers trapping out a steady rhythm on the table in front of him- before eventually he gestured with his hand slightly and the chair opposite him inched out just a little bit further courtesy of his powers.

“Sit down, Charles…” Erik instructed.

Inhaling an apprehensive breath, Charles stepped forward and sank into the chair- sliding the papers he was holding onto the desk in Erik’s direction.

“What’s this…?” Erik frowned, taking the paperwork from Charles and looking at it.

“My report on the tests we did with the anthropomorphic serum… I assume that’s what you wanted to see me about?”

Erik smiled slightly. “No, Charles”, he replied, casually dropping the papers back onto the desk.

“Oh…”

Now Charles was at a loss, and his confusion was only made worse by the fact that Erik didn’t elaborate- he simply continued to stare at Charles from across the desk with intense eyes that could have been blue or green or grey- Charles wasn’t sure. After a short duration Charles broke Erik’s gaze and turned to stare out of the large window that spanned the back wall of Erik’s office at the city beyond.

“I hear you’re a telepath…” Erik said at last.

Charles turned to look back at Erik, wondering how Erik knew this information before he remembered that his colleagues knew, and in a work environment gossip had a tendency to spread like wildfire. He still didn’t acknowledge the assumption though, not until Erik urged him on.

“Charles, answer me”.

“Yes… I’m a telepath”, Charles responded, chewing slightly on his bottom lip.

“Excellent”, Erik said, smiling in a somewhat unsettling manner. “I have an assignment for you”.

Charles’ brows came together in a slight frown. “What kind of assignment?”

“I’m currently involved in some… complex business dealings, and I need someone with your kind of talent to assist me”.

“Business dealings? What the hell does that mean?” Charles asked, before he immediately realised his mistake and mentally cursed himself. You weren’t supposed to speak to your boss in such a manner.

“Careful, Charles. I’d heard that you were a bit feisty, but I would be wary of showing such impertinence towards me…”

“Sorry, Er-- I mean, Mr Lehnsherr”, Charles replied politely. “What is it you’d like me to help you with?”

There it was again- Erik’s wide and predatory smile. It made Charles feel distinctly nervous, and the apprehensive feelings only deepened when Charles indulged himself in a quick scan of Erik’s mind and realised that what Erik wanted him to do was something strictly off the books.

“Wait…” Charles said, shaking his head. “What you’re thinking about- I can’t do that. I’m a lab tech, not some sort of hired thug. I’m not going to use my telepathy to help you break into someone’s house”.

Erik’s expression grew even more amused in return. “I’m impressed, Charles- your psychic ability really is remarkable. But you don’t have to worry- I don’t need you to help me with the break in, only to assist should we get interrupted. I can, of course, ‘handle things’ myself, but the authorities tend to get awfully testy when people start getting hurt… I’d like to be able to control the situation more delicately, if I can”.

This didn’t make any sense. Erik had dozens of mutants working for the company, all with varied abilities that would surely come in handy in a situation such as this. Why on earth would he be so determined to use Charles instead? And why would an organisation that supposedly focused on training mutants and enhancing their powers feel the need to conduct what seemed like might be a robbery?

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Charles said at last, coming to a realisation. “You’re involved in the Brotherhood of Mutants”.

Erik watched Charles carefully before he replied: “I am the Brotherhood”.

Inwardly Charles was reeling but he managed to control his apprehension- the only onward sign of his discomfort being a sharp intake of breath. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked. “Aren’t you worried I’m going to tell someone?”

“Aren’t you worried about what I might do to stop you if you tried?”

Charles’ mouth clamped shut as he regarded Erik, eyes narrowing in consternation. He knew that Erik couldn’t really do anything to hurt him- Charles’ telepathy had always provided him with an unparalleled defence in that regard- but that didn’t mean that Erik couldn’t find ways to make Charles’ life incredibly difficult should he feel the need. Perhaps it would be best to just comply, if only for a little while… And besides, it’s possible the slightly alarming situation Charles found himself in could almost be a sort of opportunity- a chance to gather intel on the Brotherhood’s activities, and to potentially step in to prevent any untoward situations should they become apparent.

Still, that didn’t mean Charles was just going to allow himself to be pushed around…

“This isn’t part of my job”, Charles said at last. “This is not what you pay me for”.

Erik’s jaw tightened slightly. “You’re paid to do whatever I tell you to do…” he replied tensely.

Immediately Charles’ mind wandered, thinking of what that might entail exactly- being all too aware of the fact that business owners like Erik were often demanding pricks, and it wasn’t uncommon to be asked to do things out of your usual realm of duties. Still, there was a difference between picking up your boss’ lunch every day and committing a crime for him… And besides, the longer Charles looked at Erik, the longer he started to get the distinct impression that Erik had some very imaginative ideas of what he meant when he said ‘you’re paid to do whatever I tell you to do’…

It was just a look at first- Erik was watching Charles quietly; intense eyes focused on Charles’ face, mouth set but with a hint of suggested amusement. Then it was more than a look it was a feeling- desire. The sense prickled at the edge of Charles’ awareness, causing heat to rise in his face as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. And then, oh god, there was something else too- an unexpected message courtesy of Erik’s mind- a visual of Charles, on his knees, mouth stretched tight around Erik’s thick cock, with impossibly wide blue eyes looking up in reverence.

Charles visibly flinched as the image flitted through his consciousness. He wasn’t sure if Erik meant to push the thought at him or not, and the mostly impassive expression on Erik’s face gave no clues either.

“Promise me no one will get hurt…” Charles murmured finally.

Erik grinned in a manner that was pretty far from reassuring.

“Well, that’s really up to you, Charles…”

 

****

 

But people had gotten hurt, it just hadn’t been innocent civilians like Charles had feared- it had been him and Erik themselves- the casualties of a relationship that started well but ended badly.

Charles sighed, which Raven clearly took as acceptance of their current situation as she flashed Charles a brief smug smile before scrunching down further in her seat, dropping her sunglasses over her eyes and tilting her head to one side.

“Wake me up when we get there”, Raven instructed.

 

 

 

The ‘wedding of the century’ (Raven’s words) was scheduled to take place in an expansive luxury hotel set in the heart of the English countryside. The venue could have been anywhere really- Raven’s fiancé was a teleporter, so he had the ability to transport the wedding guests anywhere in the world. Still, Raven had chosen England, and Charles hadn’t exactly been thrilled with the location… He may have grown up in the UK- called the country home once and even attended university there- but his memories of the place weren’t all favourable, so he wasn’t particularly keen to return.

Raven had protested, saying the location would be ‘cute’, going on about quaint English customs and arguing about serving tea and crumpets at the wedding dinner. Charles didn’t have the heart to remind her that choosing to have a wedding in England in the middle of autumn would most likely result in shit weather, rather than picture-perfect moments.

Charles and Raven were the first to arrive at the hotel, which gave Charles plenty of time to unpack in his room before the rest of the guests descended on them. It might be nice, Charles ratified, to see all these people again- particularly as he hadn’t seen many of them since he’d stopped working for Lehnsherr Corp. Still, no amount of rationalisation could make Charles think that seeing Erik again would be nice…

Exhaling a long sigh, Charles flopped back on his bed- rubbing his fingers against his forehead in an attempt to dispel some of the tension he felt.

Erik. The name conjured up many memories for Charles- some good, many bad. Erik’s smile had always been unforgettable- sometimes seductive, often menacing, and always wider than it had any right to be. Charles hadn’t forgotten Erik’s hands either- strong and calloused, capable of breaking things or keeping them safe- depending on his mood. Most of all Charles remembered Erik’s mind- a welcoming space his telepathy had always granted him access too, though he’d never ventured inside without the permission that Erik had always readily given him.

Looking back on a relationship always had a tendency to be from a skewed perspective- either full of nostalgic thoughts of happy times, or bitter recollections of angry disagreements- usually dependent on _how_ the relationship had come to an end. Charles was torn- knowing that the year he’d spent with Erik was, in many ways, the best year of his life- but also knowing that no amount of fond memories would ease the swell of dread he felt at the idea of seeing Erik again. This was someone Charles had loved- intensely, fiercely- but someone that he had lost, and it had hurt him in ways he couldn’t quite put into words.

Fortunately for Charles, it seemed like he wouldn’t have to face his fear just yet…

 

The first social event of the occasion was dinner and drinks scheduled to take place that evening. Raven had insisted that they should all get dressed up- not that she needed an excuse for such things- and Charles had humoured her, purely because he was trying to keep his sister happy and not at all because he wanted to look his best for when he saw Erik again for the first time…

When Charles arrived in the hall where the dinner was due to take place he immediately scanned the room- both visually and telepathically- trying to get a read on where Erik was, and he was surprised to find that Erik wasn’t there. Of course, it wasn’t disappointment Charles felt creeping over him as he realised Erik hadn’t arrived yet- it was relief. It had to be…

Charles couldn’t really relax for the rest of the night. He sipped quietly on a single glass of champagne, trying to keep his wits about him ready for when his ex-boyfriend made an appearance, but like always Erik seemed to be determined to keep Charles in suspense…

“He is not here yet”.

Charles turned to regard Raven’s fiancé, and Charles’ future brother-in-law, sitting opposite him. Azazel was watching Charles with the same emotionless expression he always seemed to wear, leaning back in his chair and clutching a glass of wine that was the near the same colour as his vibrant red skin.

“I don’t car-- I mean, who’s not here yet?”

That, at least, prompted a response from Azazel- a small amused smile at Charles’ expense.

“Mr Lehnsherr. He arrives tomorrow”.

“And why would I be interested in that information?” Charles asked, trying his best to look completely unconcerned with the conversation he was currently wrapped up in.

Another smile. “You are funny, _brat_ ”.

Charles screwed up his face in annoyance, unamused with Azazel’s pet name for him as he always was. Azazel had always insisted he was merely calling him ‘brother’ in Russian, but Charles wasn’t quite so sure that’s exactly how he meant it.

Exhaling a long sigh, Charles slumped back in his chair- knocking back his glass of champagne with sullen admission. If Erik wasn’t going to make an appearance that night after all, Charles figured he might as well enjoy himself a little bit…

 

As it turned out, Charles ended up enjoying himself rather _too much_ by all accounts. He lost track of his drinking sometime around his third shot, and sadly the events of the rest of the night were soon reduced to a drunken blur. It was all Azazel’s fault really- he never should have bet Charles that he could drink more vodka than him, though maybe Charles should have known better to take the man on. Azazel wagered a kiss from his future bride, and he eagerly accepted his prize as Charles kissed the earth instead- stepping outside for a breath of fresh air but ending up falling into a nearby bush.

“ _Nostrovia!_ ” Azazel cheered, lifting his glass and laughing whilst Raven helped Charles up, cursing him for causing a scene.

Sometime later Charles had been escorted to bed, though he barely remembered getting there. All he knew is when he woke up the next morning his head was pounding, helped in no way by the fact that someone appeared to be banging on his door too.

“Ughh, go away…” Charles protested, attempting to cover his ears with the sides of the pillow his face was pressed into.

Unfortunately though the noise didn’t cease, and Charles was forced to crawl from bed- realising he was still wearing last night’s crumpled clothes as he crossed the room towards the incessant sound.

When Charles opened the door Raven was there, and she was unexpectedly blue- a colour far too vivid for Charles’ delicate sensibilities that morning.

“Good god sis, what do you want?” Charles mumbled, rubbing his eyes blearily.

“I’ve lost it, I’ve fucking lost it!” Raven shrilled.

“Your mind? I’m not sure you ever really had it…”

Raven shoved him, and immediately Charles grabbed hold of the doorway for support as he felt his stomach slosh around uncomfortably like liquid in transit.

“Oh god please don’t push me, I think I’m going to hurl…”

“Well whose fault is that, you fucking lush? I told you not to start that drinking game with Azazel but you just wouldn’t listen”.

“Well consider this lesson well and truly learned”, Charles replied, resting his head against the doorframe and smiling wryly. Raven didn’t smile in response, and Charles’ expression shifted into one of concern as he regarded her panicked face.

“Raven… what’s wrong, love? What did you lose?”

“My engagement ring! It’s gone! I woke up this morning and it was just gone, and I can’t find it and I don’t know what to do or how to tell Azazel or…”

“Hey, come on now…” Charles started, reaching his arms around his sister and pulling her into a hug. “It’s okay, we’ll find it. Do you know where you last had it?”

“God, Charles- I thought you were meant to be smart…” Raven replied, rolling her eyes but not attempting to free herself from Charles’ embrace. “If I knew that then I wouldn’t have lost it now would I?”

“Ah, fair point… Okay, well then do you remember the last time you saw it?”

Raven withdrew from Charles’ arms, seeming calmer now but still generally panicked. “I know I had it at the dinner last night, it just wasn’t there when I woke up this morning. I guess I could have dropped it in the hall at some point, or more likely it came off when I was helping you out of that fucking shrubbery…”

“Alright, so it’s got to be downstairs somewhere then? Let’s just go look for it…”

“I can’t!” Raven protested. “I can’t let anyone see me like this- all _blue_ …”

“You can’t control it?”

“No, I’m freaking out too much. Can you look for it, Charles? Please??”

Charles paused, holding his stomach as he felt a sudden queasiness rise up in him that he tried to force down. All he really wanted to do was to lie in bed for the rest of the day, but he knew his sister needed him and he couldn’t bear to let her down.

“Alright, alright…” Charles replied eventually. “Just let me take a quick shower and get changed then I’ll go take a look for it”.

 

Half an hour later Charles was in the hall downstairs, crawling under the tables as he attempted to find Raven’s lost engagement ring…

He’d spent the first several minutes searching in the bushes outside, but when his quest had proven fruitless he’d resorted to scouring the main room instead- checking every conceivable space for signs of the missing ring. Fortunately it didn’t appear like the room had been touched since last night, so Charles was at least confident that- if the ring had been misplaced here- it wouldn’t have been moved at all.

Still, he’d been looking for a while with no success, and Charles was beginning to lose hope that he’d ever find Raven’s precious possession, but then he saw it- a small object glinting in the light on the floor a few metres away.

Charles scurried forward across the floor on his hands and knees, reaching for the trinket with outstretched fingers until someone stepped into the space in front of him, leaning down to pick up the ring before Charles could get to it.

It couldn’t be… But even as Charles began to wonder if his luck could really be _that bad_ he knew deep down that he recognised the smart shoes in front of his face, the long fingers that had picked up the ring, the short laugh of amusement directed at him…

“Well I didn’t expect to find you in this position, Charles…”

Charles closed his eyes, feeling an involuntary flush creep over his skin as he slowly sat back on his legs, looking up eventually to find Erik staring down at him in obvious enjoyment.

Charles wanted very much to just curl up on the floor in that moment and die of embarrassment, but he managed to compose himself enough to stand upright at last. Erik reached a hand under Charles’ arm to help him, though he couldn’t resist adding a further comment as he lifted Charles up…

“You always did look good on your knees…”

As soon as he was back on his feet Charles shrugged out of Erik’s grasp, scowling in a manner that only made Erik’s grin wider. Charles’ gaze flicked down to the ring in Erik’s hand, reaching for it and pulling an even more aggravated expression as Erik withdrew it from Charles’ grasp.

“Ah ah ah, don’t snatch”, Erik chastised, wagging a finger at Charles. “Before I give this back maybe you should tell me just who you’re planning to pop the question to”.

“It’s Raven’s ring, you… irritant”, Charles muttered.

“Harsh words, Charles”, Erik smirked. “You haven’t changed a bit”.

“Neither have you, unfortunately”.

Charles almost bit his tongue the second the words were out of his mouth; a reflex and a rather pointless attempt to stop himself from being so rude, but it was too late.

Erik paused for a second, looking Charles up and down in a manner that made Charles feel distinctly uneasy, as it had always had a tendency to do.

“You know, Charles, I was rather unsure about coming to this wedding. I strongly suspected you wouldn’t want me here, and I was seriously considering backing out, but then this morning I woke up to a _very_ interesting voicemail which made me change my mind, so it’s a bit of a surprise that you’re being so hostile now when you were so friendly last night…”

“What??” Charles uttered, all colour draining from his face as he looked at Erik in mild horror.

No, he couldn’t have… Could he? Charles frantically racked his own mind for information, trying to remember if he’d done anything last night like what Erik was suggesting, but unfortunately after one vodka, two vodka, three vodka, floor- all other memories were completely irretrievable.

“I… I called you?” Charles asked in disbelief.

Erik smiled. “Yes, you did, though I gathered you might have had a bit of Dutch courage before you picked up the phone… Do you really not remember what you said?”

“No…” Charles mumbled, shaking his head lightly. “What did I say?”

“Hmm, now where would be the fun in me just telling you outright? No, I think information like that needs to be earned…”

Charles began to chew on his lower lip, staring up at Erik hotly for a moment before he remembered that this was an expression Erik had always favoured, and correcting himself.

“It’s good to see you again, Charles”, Erik said eventually, smiling fondly. “How have you been?”

“Fine…” Charles mumbled slightly sullenly. “How’s the company- have the Brotherhood murdered anyone recently?”

“Only those who wouldn’t do what I told them to”, Erik replied, but he smiled so that Charles would know he was joking and Charles tried very hard not to return the expression.

There was another thoughtful silence, one in which Erik merely regarded Charles quietly as he’d always been inclined to do- like he was deep in thought that he didn’t care to share. Charles could just find out what Erik was thinking of course, but he’d learnt a long time ago that there was little satisfaction in such intrusion, and waiting for Erik to open up was always undeniably worth the wait.

This time, however, it seemed like Charles was likely to be kept waiting.

“So…” Charles said when it became clear that Erik wasn’t going to add anything further. “Are you going to give me the ring back, or do I have to send Raven down here to literally twist your arm?”

Erik paused in consideration for a moment, before eventually he relented- holding his hand out to drop the ring into Charles’ palm.

“Thank you…” Charles murmured, giving Erik one final glance before he moved away and started to walk over to the doorway.

“It really is good to see you again, Charles”, Erik said as Charles left. “I look forward to seeing a lot more of you over the next fortnight…”

Charles was grateful that his back was to Erik, so that Erik couldn’t see the blush that coloured his face as he retreated from the room.

This was likely to be a long two weeks…


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

After his unfortunate encounter with Erik that morning Charles spent the rest of the day hiding in his room, trying desperately to remember the events of the previous night but having no luck.

Raven had been waiting for him when he’d returned, still tense with worry that only abated slightly when Charles entered the room. Looking up hopefully, she’d frantically scoured Charles’ appearance for signs of his success, and she’d squealed so loud when Charles presented the ring Charles was sure his ears would pop with the pressure.

After an enthusiastic bout of hugging Raven finally released Charles- skipping back off to her room happily whilst Charles made himself a cup of tea and sat back in an armchair, retrieving his phone and checking through his call history.

There it was- 2:01 in the morning, a call to Erik. By that point Charles had returned to his room, so it was fair to say that there would have been no witnesses to whatever he’d said during that call, meaning unfortunately there was no one he could ask about what had transpired- no one but Erik.

But Charles seriously doubted that Erik would be willing to just tell him what he’d said on the voicemail. No, more likely he would use the situation to his advantage- to manipulate Charles in some way in order to get what he wanted. The only question was, just what did Erik want?

Charles let out a long sigh, dumping his phone onto the table next to him and starting to rub his temple in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension there. It didn’t help though, and in fact Charles quickly realised that tension wasn’t the only thing he felt…

It was there again- that feeling in his chest he’d had ever since he and Erik had broken up, one that he’d tried to drown with booze in the initial few weeks following the separation. A physical ache- a very real tightening in his chest when he thought about Erik.

It couldn’t be that he _missed_ Erik though- that would be too cruel.

In the months following the breakup the feeling had lessened, or maybe Charles had just pushed it from his mind. That was the secret to dealing with loss, after all- it never got any better, not really, but each day you would think about it less and less and that would make it easier somehow. Now though, Charles was once again forced to think about Erik- the only person Charles had ever trusted enough to give the power to hurt him.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what Erik had done.

 

 

 

Charles remained hidden in his room until lunch time, when another bout of frantic banging on his door pulled him from maudlin thoughts. It was Raven, of course- she was waiting when Charles opened the door, arm in arm with Azazel and back to looking ‘human’ once more.

“Come on, Charles- time to eat”, Raven said.

“I’m not hungry…” Charles grumbled. “I think I’m just going to stay here and, erm, read a little”.

“Read?? No, Charles- this is my wedding d-- well, wedding week-- wedding fortnight… Ugh, whatever- it’s my special time and I demand your presence at lunch, okay?”

“ _Da_ , Charles- best listen to bridezilla…” Azazel added, which earned him a playful shove from Raven.

“I really don’t want to go down there…” Charles whined, thinking about Erik and screwing up his face slightly at the prospect of seeing him again.

“Jeez, what is it, Charles? You look like someone just told you that they’ve outlawed rimming”.

Charles glared at his sister slightly in annoyance, before his expression softened and he let out a sigh.

“It’s Erik, okay- I saw him earlier”.

“You did??” Raven responded, blue eyes widening in surprise. “How did it go? What happened?”

“Well, it was awkward as arse- as you can imagine. God, I knew this was a bad idea from the onset…”

“Hey, I know it’s always uncomfortable seeing your ex--”

“But he’s not just my ex, Raven- he’s someone that I knew biblically, and my former boss, no less. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to get through the next two weeks…”

“Perhaps with vodka…” Azazel suggested, and that at least made Charles give a small smile.

“It’s midday, Azazel- hardly an appropriate time for drinking, though I imagine I’m going to need some sort of alcohol to get through this lunch…”

“Hey, Bloody Marys are appropriate at any time of day”, Raven interjected, smiling widely. “Please though, Charles- no more bush-diving; I don’t think the Xavier family name can take the scandal…”

Charles laughed in spite of himself, feeling his resilience crumble as reached back into his room briefly to collect his keys, deciding that he couldn’t hide from Erik forever.

 

 

 

Not long after, Charles was in the dining hall downstairs- tucking into a hearty lunch with renewed vigour after he realised his hangover had subsided somewhat and he was famished. Erik wasn’t there, which had come as somewhat of a relief, but Charles knew it couldn’t last so he showed no surprise when Erik eventually entered the room- looking unfairly attractive in a blue shirt and dark trousers.

Charles was drawn to him like always, and he offered a small smile that Erik returned when they locked eyes, but then someone followed Erik into the room and slid their arm through Erik’s- causing Charles’ expression to slip into a frown.

“Who’s that?” Charles asked aloud, glowering slightly as he watched Erik and his companion- a beautiful and stylish blonde woman- move further into the room and take a seat at a nearby table.

“Emma”, Azazel replied succinctly, causing Charles to turn and raise his eyebrows expectantly at his future brother-in-law.

“Emma? Emma who? What’s she doing here?”

Azazel and Raven exchanged unsure glances, making Charles feel even more frustrated and like they were keeping something from him.

“She’s… Erik’s date”, Raven said eventually, avoiding Charles’ eyes.

“What??” Charles hissed, trying to contain his outrage. “You let my ex-boyfriend bring a goddamn plus-one to your wedding?”

“Charles, _everyone_ was allowed to bring a plus-one; you know that. It was your choice to come alone. Maybe if you hadn’t spent the past year pushing away everyone who tried to get close to you, you would have had someone to bring with you…”

“Oh, don’t bloody start this again, Raven”, Charles muttered bitterly, turning away from her.

Ever since his relationship with Erik had come to an end he’d had Raven on his case- pushing potential dates at him and demanding to know why Charles wasn’t interested. It’s not like he’d been celibate after Erik- there had been a few encounters here and there- but overall there just hadn’t been anyone Charles was interested in seeing for more than one night.

Of course, Raven was never able to just accept this. By that point she’d been completely loved-up with Azazel, and she couldn’t seem to understand why Charles was so unwilling to let anyone in. Charles didn’t really care to explain to her that, ever since Erik, he didn’t feel like he could bear to feel that vulnerable again.

Charles and Raven both sat turned away from each other, mutually sulking as they had a tendency to do whenever they each believed the other was in the wrong. Azazel watched them from the other side of the table, taking in the scene thoughtfully- clearly accustomed to the Xavier siblings’ squabbles by now.

“Worry not, _brat_ \- Emma is work colleague. I doubt she means that much to Erik, _da_?”

That new piece of information suddenly made Charles willing to turn back around. He looked back over to Azazel, interest apparent on his face.

“She works at the company?” Charles asked. “In what capacity? And does she just work for Lehnsherr Corp. or does she also work for…” Charles looked around for a second before lowering his voice and finishing “… _the Brotherhood_?”

“She is- how you say- Erik’s PA? And yes, she works for Brotherhood too”.

It probably shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to Charles- Erik had always tended to allow the line between his two ‘companies’ to get very blurred, as Charles had learned pretty quickly not long after they’d met…

 

****

 

On the night Charles had agreed to help Erik with his ‘business proposition’ it had been cold and raining outside. Erik had picked Charles up from his town house, or at least he’d gotten as far as Charles’ front door before he’d felt the need to send Charles back inside again. Apparently a neatly pressed grey suit was not the correct attire for a break-in, and clearly Erik had suspected that Charles would not be prepared for the night’s events as he threw a bag of clothing at Charles in exasperation and waited impatiently as Charles went back inside to get changed. Eventually Charles returned- dressed in the same manner as Erik in dark trousers and a black jumper.

Charles followed Erik to the waiting van, climbing into the back and taking a seat next to two other people who were similarly dressed. Charles recognised them both as also working at the company, though he now suspected that maybe Azazel wasn’t really an Operations Manager and Psylocke wasn’t really in Marketing… Perhaps Charles should have already guessed from the ostentatious nicknames they preferred to be addressed by that they weren’t just office types.

Erik climbed inside too- sitting down next to Charles and reaching behind him to briefly bang on the side of the van as a signal for the driver to go. Charles tried to control the nervous churning of his stomach as the van began to move, but it was difficult when no one was saying anything. It also didn’t help that Erik was sitting so close- one side pressed firmly up against Charles with his arm reaching behind the back of Charles’ neck to hold onto a bar above them both. Things got even more uncomfortable for Charles when the van took a particularly sharp turn and Charles found himself thrown into Erik- sprawling across his lap and having to practically grope Erik’s thighs in order to right himself.

“Uhh, sorry… Mr Lehnsherr”, Charles mumbled when he was upright once more.

Erik only flashed him an amused glance in return.

Eventually they reached their destination, and Charles waited nervously for instruction. Azazel and Psylocke ventured out first before Erik grasped Charles firmly on one arm and pulled him forward. Once they were out of the van Charles turned around to regard the building they were stood in front of- an expansive and very expensive-looking house the likes of which Charles had seen on flashy reality TV shows.

“Come on”, Erik instructed, keeping his hold on Charles’ arm as he guided him towards the house.

Charles was slightly sick with worry about what they might be about to do inside, but fortunately it seemed like nothing particularly dangerous was expected of him after all. Erik pulled Charles with him down the dim corridors and into a small room at the rear of the house, inside of which were numerous monitors that displayed varying views of the house and its grounds.

Charles looked up at Erik curiously. “Aren’t you worried that we’re being recorded?” he asked.

Erik shook his head in return. “No, I put a stop to that- the cameras may still be transmitting, but they’re not recording anything”.

Charles turned back to view the screens, waiting for Erik to say something else and watching as Azazel and Psylocke moved swiftly through the house. Eventually Charles turned back to Erik.

“So… what is it you want me to do?” Charles asked, wondering why Erik was still holding onto his arm and standing so close.

“Nothing… yet. Just keep an eye on the monitors, and if we get any unexpected visitors make sure they’re… incapacitated”.

“I’m not killing anyone”, Charles hissed.

Erik chuckled softly. “Why does your mind go straight to murder? I’m not expecting you to- I’m sure you have ways of controlling the situation without having to resort to violence. Just… be careful. We don’t want any witnesses to what we’re doing, and ideally I’d like for us to get out without anyone knowing we were ever here”.

Charles grew quiet after that- simply watching the monitors carefully whilst Erik continued to hold onto his arm- rubbing his thumb against Charles’ bicep in what Charles supposed was meant to be a comforting gesture. Eventually it seemed like Erik had got what he wanted- Azazel appeared from one of the upstairs hallways and disappeared from view, reappearing microseconds later in the same room as Charles and Erik, causing Charles to jump slightly in surprise.

“It is done”, Azazel surmised.

“Good”, Erik responded. “Take Psylocke back to the van- Charles and I will be along shortly”.

Azazel gave a brief nod before he once again vanished, after which Erik stepped away from Charles at last- moving closer to the screens and leaning on the table.

“What are we doing now?” Charles asked, tilting his head to one side as he watched Erik.

“I just want to check something”, Erik replied, using his powers to fiddle with the controls in front of him whilst watching the screens carefully. The real-time footage of the house stopped, replaced by old images as Erik rewound- evidently looking for something.

Charles waited impatiently; shifting nervously as he watched Erik watching the screens. Eventually Erik seemed to find what he was searching for, though Charles was unable to see what it was as Erik blocked his view of the screen in question.

“Right, let’s go”, Erik stated, turning back to face Charles before frowning slightly as he took in the alarmed expression on Charles’ face.

“Someone’s here”, Charles whispered heatedly.

Erik whirled back to face the screens as the footage resumed, seeing nothing of interest at first until there was the sight of three individuals entering through the rear of the house.

Immediately Charles prepared to do what he’d been brought here for- reaching his fingers to his temple and beginning to stretch his telepathy out to find the minds of the others, but he was abruptly stopped.

Erik moved over to him in three brisk steps- grabbing Charles around the waist from behind and hauling him backwards whilst clamping his hand over Charles’ mouth for good measure, muffling the startled yelp Charles made. Charles was completely taken by surprise as Erik used his abilities to open the door of a nearby storage cupboard- pulling Charles inside and quickly closing the door behind them.

It was dark and claustrophobic inside the cupboard, just a thin sliver of light creeping in through the bottom of the door that barely illuminated the space. Charles was pressed flush against Erik’s chest, his breathing somewhat ragged as Erik continued to hold him tightly with his hand still on Charles’ mouth. Using his telepathy, Charles kept a mental eye on the mysterious individuals as they moved throughout the house, remaining continually vigilant and ready for what might happen.

But then he got distracted…

Charles had never been this close to Erik before, and it was an unexpectedly thrilling experience. Erik’s body was warm and firm against Charles’ back, his breath hot against the side of Charles’ neck. Charles knew he was supposed to be concentrating, but he couldn’t help his mind from wandering- particularly as his telepathy gave him an overview of Erik’s current mental state too and he knew that Erik was also thinking about non-work-related matters.

It was just the smallest gesture. Erik’s hand was still firmly pressed against Charles’ mouth, and all Charles did was turn into it marginally- opening his mouth ever so slightly and pressing the hint of a kiss into Erik’s palm. He didn’t know why he did it, and he naively thought that maybe Erik wouldn’t notice, but then Erik moved his hand and drew his thumb slowly across Charles’ lower lip and Charles realised that Erik must have felt it.

Charles parted his lips further in response and Erik slid his thumb inside, reaching gently into the wet heat of Charles’ mouth as Charles’ tongue brushed against the digit. Erik was already standing pretty darn close but Charles felt him move closer in that moment- pushing up against Charles’ back as his other hand drew tight around Charles’ waist.

And then there was Erik’s cock- a swiftly hardening presence making itself known in the marginal space between them. Charles gasped slightly when he felt it, and he sensed Erik smile in response.

Erik’s thumb was still exploring Charles’ mouth as Erik leaned his head forward- the tip of his nose just trailing up the side of Charles’ neck as his lips followed, stubble pricking against Charles’ skin as Charles squirmed slightly in response.

This was such a stupid idea… Of all the things Charles suspected he might have to do in the name of his career, getting felt up by his boss in a closet wasn’t one of them. He knew that he should stop things- that he _could_ stop things, should he want to- but that was perhaps the problem; he didn’t want to. Erik may have been Charles’ boss, and most likely a mobster, and kind of an egomaniac- but Charles couldn’t deny that he was attracted to him.

Charles leaned back against Erik fully, sliding his hands behind him to rest on Erik’s thighs as Erik continued to kiss the side of Charles’ neck.

Although what they were doing felt pretty nice, Charles didn’t really expect things to progress any further- not given the current rather dangerous situation they found themselves in. That’s why Charles was so completely taken aback when he suddenly felt his trousers come loose and slide down- presumably as a result of Erik’s powers seen as his hands were still somewhat occupied. Charles let out a slight noise of surprise when it happened- attempting to edge away from Erik slightly but being unable to do so as Erik held him in place.

“Ssshhh…” Erik murmured in his ear. “Relax, Charles- I’m not going to fuck you…”

Erik’s low voice vibrating against his ear was anything but relaxing. Charles froze in place, remaining deathly still as Erik moved one hand to reach between the two of them, the same time as Charles heard the sound of Erik’s trousers also being undone.

Charles would have asked Erik what he was doing, but Erik’s thumb was still in his mouth and he didn’t want to startle Erik by using his telepathy to speak directly into his mind. Instead, Charles remained quiet as Erik continued to fumble behind him, until Erik swiftly pulled Charles’ boxers down and Charles felt Erik’s uncovered cock press against his bare ass....

There was another noise of surprise from Charles- somewhere between a moan and a yelp- before Erik shushed him again and resumed kissing up the side of Charles’ neck.

Charles felt like he had one finger on the trigger- his telepathy primed and ready to put a stop to Erik’s actions should he deem them unacceptable. But Erik was true to his word- he didn’t try to fuck Charles, instead he simply gripped his cock in one hand and began to rub it lazily across Charles’ buttocks.

The feeling was like pleasurable torture. Charles moaned slightly, sucking hard on Erik’s thumb and gripping Erik’s thighs with somewhat sweaty hands. He could feel his cock hardening now too, but he didn’t make a move for it- he allowed Erik the power to dictate what happened between them.

After his advances towards Charles were presumably accepted Erik took things one step further; resting his palm against Charles’ lower stomach to hold him still before rocking his hips forward and beginning to rub his cock more purposefully along the line of Charles’ ass. Charles could feel the heat of Erik’s mind as Erik continued to grind against him; all of Erik’s lust and desire reaching fever pitch as he finally got to act out one of the things he’d clearly been fantasising about for some time. It was beyond erotic, even if Charles remained unstimulated in return.

Eventually Erik worked himself up to climax, mouth still in the vicinity of Charles’ neck, breathing hard and groaning quietly as he thrust forward the final few times- experiencing release at last as he shot his load over Charles’ ass. He held onto Charles as he settled down, forehead resting against the back of Charles’ neck, removing his other hand from Charles’ mouth at last and moving it to grip Charles gently on the waist.

“Is the coast clear?” Erik asked eventually, lifting his head up slightly to rest his chin on Charles’ shoulder.

Charles used his telepathy to take a quick scan of the rest of the house, finding the three people he’d seen earlier now on the upper floor of the house.

“They’re upstairs, in one of the bedrooms, I think”, Charles whispered, slightly breathlessly.

“Alright, I guess we should go before anyone finds us- I wouldn’t want to have to try and explain this…”

 

****

 

Charles had learned quickly that Erik’s actions had always seemed to follow the same tact- act first, worry about the consequences later. It was a recklessness that would ultimately cause the downfall of their relationship and, as Charles stared over at Erik and his apparent new girlfriend, he wondered if Erik had changed at all since he’d last seen him.

 

The rest of the day passed quickly. After lunch Charles retired to his room once more, in spite of Raven’s protests and insistence that Charles should join them in that day’s activities, but he didn’t particularly feel like socialising.

Of course, this self-imposed exile could only last so long. Charles received a text later from his friend Hank- another guest at the wedding who had just arrived. Charles had known Hank since university, and it had been Hank who had recommended Charles for the job at Lehnsherr Corp. when Charles had moved to New York some years later, as Hank had contacts at the company with whom he had influence.

A short while later Charles answered a knock at his door to find Hank waiting for him. Hank smiled warmly when he saw Charles, adjusting his glasses nervously as he’d always had a tendency to do.

“No ‘beast mode’ today?” Charles asked, in reference to Hank’s appearance. Normally Hank’s mutation caused his skin to be covered with a thick blue fur, but- like Raven- Hank had never been particularly happy with his physical appearance, and Hank’s research had led him to develop a serum that could be used to make him appear distinctly more ‘normal’ and human-like.

“No… I didn’t want to, erm, cause a spectacle”.

“Hank, the groom is literally redder than a fire engine… I hardly think you’d make that much of an impression”.

Hank laughed quietly. “Okay- I guess you’re right. So… what have I missed?”

Charles pulled a face, reaching behind him to close the door before he and Hank started walking along the corridor.

“Oh, not much- just the beginnings of my own personal nightmare…”

“You saw Erik, huh?”

“Yeah…”

“Was it really that bad?”

“Well, no- not really. It was… fine, I guess- about as comfortable as you can expect this kind of situation to be. I’m just not looking forward to having to see him every day for the next two weeks. Him or his new girlfriend…”

“You met her then?”

Charles stopped still, turning to look up at Hank incredulously.

“You knew??”

“Oh…” Hank replied, shifting uncomfortably. “Oh, sorry- I forgot you didn’t know about that. Raven told me not to say anything to begin with, but I thought she would have at least warned you by now…”

“For pity’s sake Hank…” Charles muttered, turning away and stalking off in the direction of the elevator. “You’re my best friend- you’re supposed to tell me these things”.

“I know, I know- but Raven made me promise…” Hank trailed off, and Charles really didn’t need him to explain further. Raven had always been a very persuasive person, and Hank in particularly had always been susceptible to doing whatever she asked, given that he was hopelessly smitten with her and had been for years.

The doors to the elevator opened, and Hank and Charles entered before pushing the button for the lobby.

“I’m sorry, Charles”, Hank said eventually, leaning against the side of the elevator wall opposite him. “I can’t imagine how difficult this situation is for you, but I suppose you can at least take some comfort in the fact that Erik clearly isn’t over you, given his choice of new partner…”

“What do you mean?” Charles frowned, staring over at Hank who in turn quickly slipped into an abashed expression.

“Ah, I guess Raven didn’t tell you that part either… Erik’s date- Emma- she’s a telepath”.

 

 

 

It was supposed to be comforting- what Hank had said- but Charles found the information infuriating, and he was still seething about it hours later as that night’s dinner had begun to wind down.

He spent the evening sat between Hank and Raven, trying to relax and enjoy the meal but finding himself constantly distracted by the sight of Erik sat down the other end of the table, with his new girlfriend practically draped over him. It didn’t help that the mere presence of Emma made Charles feel imbalanced- like she was using her telepathy to put up a wall between herself and Charles, and she was hiding Erik behind it too.

Naturally, Charles’ solution to dealing with the situation was to imbibe copious amounts of alcohol, or at least that was the original intention. After his shenanigans the previous night, Raven wasn’t exactly pleased with the idea of Charles drinking too much, and so she tried valiant to curb his habit by topping his glass up with water instead of wine. Eventually Charles grew tired of his sister’s safeguarding, and he left the dining hall in search of somewhere to get a drink without being judged.

The plan didn’t quite work out… Charles made his way to the nearby bar and sat down at the counter before ordering himself a glass of wine. When the drink was served Charles reached for it eagerly, lifting it to his lips and preparing to take a sip before he was rudely interrupted.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just have a full bottle, and a straw?”

Charles closed his eyes in annoyance and tried to mentally readily himself, before turning to his side to find Erik watching him with a smug grin on his face.

“What do you want, Erik?” Charles muttered, flashing Erik an irritated glance before taking a drink from his glass anyway.

“I came to see if you were alright- you’ve seemed pretty pissed off all evening”.

“Why would you care if I’m alright?”

Erik sighed before taking a seat at the counter next to Charles. “Why wouldn’t I, Charles? You think just because we’re not together anymore that I’d want to see you upset?”

“I really don’t know what to think, Erik. I just assumed you’d be too busy with your new girlfriend to even think about me”.

Erik smirked slightly. “Charles… are you jealous?”

“Um, no, Charles uttered, pulling a face. “Don’t flatter yourself”.

Ugh, there was that damn shark-like grin of Erik’s again, making Charles’ knees feel weak- the type of look that could tear down even the best of intentions.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Charles- I would have been jealous too had you brought a date with you”.

“Of course you would have been- ‘possessive’ is practically your middle name”.

“I’m pretty sure it’s ‘Magnus’…”

Charles rolled his eyes, which only made Erik’s grin wider. Charles hated how natural this all was- to talk to Erik so easily, like they always had, like nothing had changed- like neither of them had had their hearts ripped out by the other. Worse still was the feeling of completeness he attained from being close to Erik- like Erik was a part of himself, one he wished desperately that he didn’t need. He wondered if Erik felt the same way, and if that was why Erik had decided to compensate the loss with a substitute.

“Is it true?” Charles asked eventually. “Is Emma really a telepath?”

Erik regarded Charles quietly. “She is…”

Charles knew it of course, but having it confirmed made Charles let out a noise of disgust- quickly knocking back the rest of his wine and slamming the glass back on the table before sliding off the barstool. Erik reached out a hand to stop him- gripping Charles on the arm and looking at him intently.

“Charles, what is it?”

“It’s nothing…” Charles protested, attempting to shrug out of Erik’s grasp and trying desperately not to look up into the eyes that he knew would be watching him.

“I just… I just had no idea how replaceable I was to you…” Charles said eventually. At last he found the courage to look up, and he did so just in time to see Erik’s expression soften.

“Charles… You’re not replaceable”, Erik said quietly. “There will never be another like you”.

Charles bit his lip, feeling a tremor run through him as Erik began to rub his thumb against Charles’ bicep where he held him.

“Don’t go”, Erik said eventually, looking at Charles imploringly. “Please just stay and have another drink- stay and talk to me”.

It was so, so tempting. Part of Charles wanted nothing more than to say yes- to settle down for an evening with Erik, but so much of that would be like reopening a chapter of his life he had tried so desperately to put behind himself, and it would be too hard to revisit a past that would never again become present.

“I can’t…” Charles murmured, dropping his gaze. “I really should be spending this time with my sister, I only slipped away for a quick drink because she wouldn’t stop monitoring my intake of alcohol”.

Erik smiled. “She cares about you”, he said. _“So do I”_ , his mind added.

At that, Erik released his hold on Charles’ arm, allowing Charles the freedom to back away a few paces until he felt ready to look Erik in the eye once more.

“I’ll, um, see you around”, Charles said.

“I look forward to it”, Erik replied.

Charles gave Erik a brief nod before turning and walking briskly from the room, running away from Erik like he’d always done.


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

Peace was never an option.

It was something that Erik had said to Charles more than once over the course of their relationship, usually whenever they were embroiled in a particularly vehement argument about morality- or the fact that Erik seemed to be lacking any... It was unrealistic to expect that any couple would always agree on everything, and in the beginning Charles had been content to gloss over the little disagreements he and Erik seemed to have, but as time had progressed it had become clearer and clearer that they were just two very different people- a realisation that had ultimately torn them apart.

However, being reunited with Erik had been unexpectedly cordial- to Charles’ extreme surprise. Charles had been at the hotel for a few days now and had spoken to Erik numerous times, and on each occasion it had been a bit awkward, certainly, but pleasant enough- and with no sign of the usual heated arguments that Charles had become accustomed to in the latter stages of his relationship with Erik.

Of course, it couldn’t last… 

It was Raven’s fault, naturally. She was so determined that the two-week wedding spectacular would run in exactly the way she had envisioned, which unfortunately for all concerned meant lots of group social events. Charles wasn’t impressed, but he loved his sister so he was willing to partake in as many silly little activities as she wanted, he just hadn’t imagined that a simple game would be the catalyst for himself and Erik having one of the worst arguments they’d had in a very long time.

“Um, a bird… No, an eagle, dragon, some sort of… fairy??” Hank trailed off, looking at Charles in confusion as Charles flapped his arms around frantically.

“Time!” Raven shouted, tapping the watch on her wrist and grinning defiantly. “Sorry, Charles- you lose”.

“BATMAN”, Charles practically barked out, shaking his head. “How the hell do you not get ‘Batman’, Hank?”

“Sorry, Charles- I’m not very good at Charades…” Hank mumbled, removing his glasses and absently cleaning them with the bottom of his shirt.

Charles huffed out a sound of annoyance, walking over to the side of the room and beginning to pour himself a drink whilst Raven celebrated her victory by kissing Azazel. When Charles turned back around he started to make a move to sit down next to Hank, but he was distracted by the sight of Erik and Emma sat close together on another sofa- whispering together and looking over in Charles’ direction. Immediately Charles felt his face getting heated, particularly as he took in the obnoxious grin on Erik’s face.

“Something funny?” Charles asked, glaring over at the cosy twosome.

“No…” Erik replied, not even bothering to hide his smile. “I just forgot how competitive you were, Charles”.

“I am not competitive”, Charles protested, ignoring the way that Raven and several of the other guests exchanged glances that suggested they disagreed.

“Hmm, right- of course not…” Erik replied, still grinning. “I must have imagined that time you pushed over a small child so that you could win a football match”.

“I did not!” Charles squeaked. “You’re completely twisting what happened. And besides, you’re the one who got so irate when they lost a game of pool that they practically crumpled up the table out of pure frustration”.

Erik smirked. “As I seem to remember I only bent the table when you came up behind me and whispered in my ear that I should just take you home and polish your pool cue instead…”

Charles froze, blue eyes going wide as he stared at Erik open-mouthed. It would have been bad enough had there been only Raven, Hank, and Azazel in attendance, but what really made Charles turn a vibrant shade of pink was the fact that there were many other guests present, all of whom turned to look at Charles is disbelief and amusement.

“You are such a DICK!” Charles exclaimed.

“Oh, come on, Charles- I didn’t start this. You’re the one getting all wound up because your ego can’t handle you losing a simple game of Charades…”

“My ego?? Erik, you’re so arrogant you once called out your own name in bed”.

There were more shocked looks from the group plus a few animated bouts of laughter, and finally Erik appeared to be somewhat abashed.

“I was in the moment”, Erik muttered. “And at least I have passion… You’re the only person I’ve ever met who says ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ whenever they have sex”.

“Oh, piss off, Erik- you’re exaggerating…” Charles protested.

“Am I?” Erik replied, leaning forward in his chair and beginning to clench his fists. “Precious little Charles Xavier- always so concerned with keeping everyone happy; so afraid to open up and be honest about who you are and what you want because you’re scared of what someone might say. It’s no wonder your favourite film is Snow White- your whole life is just like one long Disney movie. Well, sorry if me pointing out a few choice observations about you has somehow ruined your perfect little world, princess…”

“Don’t call me princess”, Charles spat out. “I don’t like it”.

“Really? You didn’t seem to mind me calling you princess if I was fucking you at the time…”

Erik had always had quick reflexes, which was just as well as he was able to duck to avoid the glass that came flying at his face in the next moment. Charles didn’t even realise he’d done it- normally he was so careful to control his emotions and so opposed to violence- but Erik had gone too far and before Charles knew it he had thrown the glass he was holding straight at Erik’s head.

The glass travelled across the room and Erik just had time to open his eyes wide in surprise before he ducked to the side across Emma’s lap to avoid being struck. In the end, the only visible damage caused by Charles’ outburst was a very large drink stain across the sofa cushions, though it was clear from the look on Charles’ face that he was dealing with some internal trauma too.

“Fuck you”, Charles uttered, glaring hard at Erik and hating the way everyone could see that he was shaking. Erik opened his mouth, looking like he was going to respond, but Charles turned and hurried from the room before he could say anything.

When Raven caught up to Charles he was pacing back and forth in front of the elevator, limbs trembling with pure fury as he relieved the encounter with Erik in his head.

“Charles, wait”, Raven implored, reaching to grab Charles’ arm just as the elevator doors began to open. He shrugged out of her grasp angrily, stepping into the elevator and slamming down on the button for his floor, forcing Raven to step inside to join him.

“Charles, where are you going?”

“Back to my room, for the rest of this goddamn nightmare occasion”, Charles muttered, moving to lean back against the wall of the elevator and putting his head in his hands. He remained still for a while, until he felt Raven’s hands in his hair- stroking through it with her fingertips in an attempt to soothe him- a trick she had picked up when they were very young that always seemed to work.

Charles lowered his hands and tilted his head back up, finding his sister looking back at him with clear concern on her face.

“What Erik did was really uncool... I didn’t think the two of you would get into it like that, particularly not in front of everyone--”

“Oh I know, Raven- you’re pissed at me for making a scene…”

“No, Charles”, Raven interrupted, continuing to stroke Charles’ hair. “No, I don’t care about that- I only care that you’re okay”.

“I hate him”, Charles replied suddenly. “I don’t know what I ever saw in him… I hate him…”

“Charles… Are you sure about that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…You still love him”.

Charles didn’t recognise the noise that escaped his lips in that moment- a strange yelp that barely betrayed the surge of feeling within.

“No… No, I don’t…”

“Charles…” Raven said softly, sliding her hands down to hold Charles gently on the shoulders. “People don’t get this angry about people they don’t love. I know you’ve never been very good at expressing your emotions but I can tell what Erik means to you…”

“No…” Charles replied, shaking his head like he was trying to brush off Raven’s words. It wasn’t working though- everything she’d said had sunk into his skin, like a mark he would never be able to wash off because it was written through him like certain fact.

“This is pointless”, Charles said eventually. “It doesn’t matter what I do or don’t feel, because it’s been one year since Erik and I broke up and he never contacted me, he never called me- not once. He may be here now but he’s here with his new girlfriend and in just over a week he’ll be gone and I’ll never have to see him again”.

“Is that really what you want, Charles?”

Charles pursed his lips, leaning back from Raven against the wall of the elevator.

“It doesn’t matter what I want”.

Raven pulled an indignant expression, letting go of Charles and backing up a couple of places across the elevator.

“You see, this is the problem, Charles- you never just say what you’re feeling. You know everything there is to know about everyone else, but you keep yourself completely closed off in return”.

“Oh for god’s sake, Raven- you sound just like Erik…”

“Yeah, well maybe Erik is right sometimes…”

Charles scowled at Raven, resenting her fiercely in that moment for vocalising everything he’d already thought himself. The two of them remained locked in an unrelenting gaze, until the elevator doors opened and Charles was free to escape.

“Charles, come on- don’t run away”, Raven called as Charles exited the elevator and began to walk briskly down the corridor in the direction of his room.

But Charles couldn’t help it. It was easier, somehow, to just run- safer than staying and remaining vulnerable, regardless of the consequences.

All his life Charles felt like he’d been stumbling from one decision to the next, searching desperately for something he couldn’t quite put into words. Sometimes he’d come close to attaining it- never more so than during his year with Erik- but Charles had always known it would never last, and in the end he had always decided that maybe it was just better to get out ahead of time and try to save himself the heartache.

Eventually Charles reached his room- entering the safe space and closing the door behind himself in a hurry. He crossed the room to his bed- lying face down on it and thinking about Erik, as usual, and how much simpler it might have been had he just stopped things between them in those early days before they’d progressed any further…

 

****

 

Following the night of the heist, Charles had found himself feeling immensely frustrated with the lack of clarity regarding his relationship with Erik, or lack thereof. Okay, so after their fumble in the closet Charles hadn’t exactly expected Erik to confess his undying love or anything like that, but he’d assumed that they would at least discuss what had happened between them, but apparently that wasn’t to be the case.

Charles had returned to work the next morning and had tried to get on with the day’s tasks in spite of the fact that his mind wandered often- thinking about Erik and his hands and his mouth and… _other parts._

All day Charles had waited for a sign that Erik would want to talk about things- assuming that eventually he would be summoned to Erik’s office once more, but there was no contact whatsoever- and by the end of the day Charles was left feeling frustrated and dejected, and distinctly like he’d been used.

When the weekend arrived there was no escape from work, as there was an extravagant party scheduled to be held at a local hotel- a celebration of some of Lehnsherr Corp.’s latest achievements. Charles really didn’t want to go- he didn’t feel like partying in the least- but he’d mentioned the event to Raven some weeks previously and she was determined that they should both attend, being keen as she always was to get dressed up and attend a swanky affair.

Charles begrudgingly wore his best suit for the occasion, and he and Raven stepped into the ballroom arm in arm, where they remained for only a short time… It didn’t take long for Raven to become distracted- getting caught up in the attentions of a certain red-skinned Russian who would go on to become her everything. Charles resented Raven maybe a little bit for abandoning him, particularly when he noticed Erik standing across the room- looking seductive as sin in an impressive black suit and surrounded by eager employees all desperate to impress. Erik and Charles locked eyes for only a moment before Charles looked away, reaching for another glass of champagne and moving to speak to some of his colleagues.

For the rest of the night Charles amused himself by speaking to his friends and knocking back yet more champagne, the influence of which left him with a distinctly fuzzy feeling in his head. That was perhaps why Charles found himself feeling oddly receptive to the friendly advances of one of his colleagues- a Sales Executive by the name of Moira.

Moira was kind, sweet, and pretty, and Charles was only too happy to spend the evening talking to her- in time unleashing a bout of his usual charm on her as he began to feel more and more loosened up by the champagne. Eventually Charles suggested the two of them go outside to get a breath of fresh air, and he and Moira took a walk together through the gardens of the hotel- Moira’s arm linked through Charles’ as they walked along the gravel path further and further away from the party.

They came to a stop just in front of a wall that surrounded the hotel grounds- pausing to take a look up at the sky above and admiring the moon that was impossibly large and luminescent that night.

When Charles looked back to Moira she was staring up at the sky and she looked so pretty bathed in moonlight that Charles couldn’t resist moving closer to her, waiting until she turned around before leaning in to kiss her.

The kiss was sweet, like Moira was- chaste and tender; nothing more than a brief press of lips together. Charles withdrew from the kiss after a few seconds- looking over at Moira to find her smiling, and returning her expression before leaning in for another kiss.

“You’re missing the party”, a voice interrupted.

Charles withdrew from Moira more harshly this time- eyes growing wide in mild panic as he registered the sight of Erik walking along the path towards them.

“Oh, erm- Mr Lehnsherr, we were just, erm…” Moira trailed off, losing the end of her sentence, though Charles suspected she never had it in the first place.

“What do you want?” Charles demanded, causing a flicker of tension to pass over Erik’s face.

“Now, Charles- we may not be at work right now but there’s no need to be rude… I just wanted to have a quick word with Moira here…”

“Me?” Moira asked. “Um, sure- what is it?”

“It was just about those sales figures you gave me, I’ve been going over them and I noticed a few… discrepancies”.

“Discrepancies? Oh no, what kind of discrepancies?”

“Well, nothing major- I mean, assuming the errors in question were merely a typo rather than a true reflection of your sales projections… I’ve emailed my findings back to you, so you can check them over”.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, sir- I’ll take another look at the figures as soon as possible”.

“Good, good… I’m sure there will be an easy explanation, hopefully one that will be given to me in time for my meeting at 9am on Monday…”

“Oh, oh okay, of course, sir- I’ll go take a look at the figures now”.

“No no, you don’t need to do that…” Erik mildly protested.

“No, I insist, Mr Lehnsherr- I have my laptop in my car so I’ll go get started straight away. You can count on me”.

“Very well, Moira. I appreciate your dedication”.

Moira flashed Erik a contrite smile in response, turning to squeeze Charles’ arm apologetically before scurrying away.

Once Moira was gone, Charles and Erik were left alone with nothing but a heavy silence between them.

“I suppose you think you’re pretty clever…” Charles said eventually, crossing his arms and glaring at Erik.

Erik smiled. “I don’t know what you mean, Charles. I just came out looking here for Moira, I had no idea I’d find her in a lip-lock with you. To be honest, I didn’t think she was your type…”

“And what would you know about my type? You don’t know anything about me”.

“Maybe not, but I’d like to…”

Charles huffed out an unimpressed noise, staring hotly over at Erik and finding himself growing increasingly infuriated by the way Erik just wouldn’t fucking stop smiling at him.

“I find that pretty hard to believe, Erik. Since we… _were intimate_ , you’ve just completely blanked me. I don’t think that sounds like the actions of someone who wants to get to know me better, do you?”

Erik finally stopped smiling at that, his expression growing thoughtful as he advanced towards Charles a few steps.

“I wasn’t sure you’d want to talk to me about that in the workplace… What I did to you was pretty… _unprofessional_ to say the least, and I know how important your job is to you so I didn’t know if you’d be feeling a bit uncomfortable about… _being intimate_ with the boss, as you called it”.

“And you thought the way to deal with that was to just totally ignore me for several days?”

“I was trying to give you space…”

“Bollocks to your space, I don’t need you to decide what’s best for me- if I didn’t want to see you I wouldn’t bloody talk to you, alright?”

Erik paused, the corners of his mouth just beginning to curl up in a smile once more.

“So, the fact that you’re standing here with me now means that you _do_ want to talk to me?” he asked hopefully.

Charles looked away from Erik’s teasing expression, chewing on his lower lip thoughtfully as Erik stepped ever closer- to the point where he was stood just inches in front of Charles.

“What do you want, Erik?” Charles asked eventually, turning to look back up at Erik at last, his blue eyes wide and vulnerable.

“You”.

“In what way?”

“In every way…”

Charles had to look away at that, feeling a flush develop in his cheeks that he hoped the darkness would conceal. His heart was racing just like it had the last time Erik had been this close to him, more so as Erik moved closer- staring down at Charles with an intensity that made Charles’ knees feel weak.

“I don’t understand you, Erik…” Charles murmured. “You’re so hot and cold with me, and it’s impossible to tell what you’re thinking”.

Erik frowned lightly. “Well, can’t you just read my mind and find out?”

“No…” Charles replied, shaking his head. “I mean, I could- but I don’t want to. Everyone I’ve ever met has always, I suppose, _feared me_ because of my telepathy. No one has ever wanted me poking around inside their head, so for the most part I just try to stay out of other people’s minds, unless it’s completely necessary. I can still get a general overview of someone’s mental state without prying, but I won’t get anything deeper unless I go looking for it”.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to you looking inside my mind…”

Charles scoffed. “You say that now, but---“

“I’m serious, Charles”, Erik interrupted, reaching up to grasp Charles’ chin to keep Charles from looking away. “You should never have to suppress your gift, so if you want to use your telepathy on me I’m okay with it”.

Charles didn’t say anything. He simply remained captive in Erik’s grasp- staring up at him completely spellbound as Erik reached his thumb slightly higher, tracing it just below Charles’ lower lip.

“You don’t want to…?” Erik continued. “Okay then, well I guess I’ll just have to show you what I’m thinking in another way…”

Charles’ mouth parted slightly in surprise- the start of a question forming that he never got to vocalise because in the next second Erik’s lips came crashing against his. Erik pushed Charles backwards until he was pressed against the wall behind him, body bracketing Charles in as his tongue began to explore Charles’ mouth eagerly. It was a complete contradiction to the earlier kiss with Moira- that embrace had been tentative and gentle, but the kiss with Erik was fevered and passionate.

Charles held onto the front of Erik’s jacket, moaning softly as Erik kissed him like he was gasping for air and Charles was oxygen. It was cold outside- more so now that Charles’ back was pushed up against the brick wall- and it was a delicious contradiction to the warmth of Erik’s body pressed flush against his front; a heat only intensified by the feeling of Erik’s semi-hard cock trapped in the space between them, rubbing against Charles’ own.

After maybe a minute of frantic kissing Erik withdrew at last, but only marginally. He rested his forehead against Charles’, the tips of their noses just brushing against each other’s as they fought to regain a steady level of breathing once more.

“Come home with me…” Erik murmured.

Charles gave out a short laugh. “Contrary to what you may think of me, I’m not that easy. I’m not going to sleep with you just like that”.

Erik smiled in return. “Okay, so what do you want? You have a system or something- three dates before you’ll take your trousers off?”

“Not exactly… But you could at least buy me dinner first”.

Erik leaned back from Charles, grinning widely. “Okay, let’s go then”.

“Huh?”

“You said you wanted me to buy you dinner before you’d come home with me, so let’s go”.

“Erik, it’s eleven o’clock at night…”

“So? There’s this nice little Italian place- I know the owner, so I’m sure he’ll be able to seat us”.

“You can’t be serious?” Charles said, smiling in spite of himself. “What about your party?”

“Fuck it”, Erik stated. “I’ve been to enough of these boring events to last me a lifetime, and I’m sure no one will notice I’m gone”.

“Ah, but someone might notice if I am- I came here with my sister…”

“The attractive blonde who Azazel teleported over to the hotel pool about twenty minutes ago? I don’t think she’ll miss you…”

Charles slipped into a slight grin, completely unsurprised at hearing what Raven was up to. He leaned back against the wall behind him, gazing up at Erik and considering what the best course of action was. Erik was his boss, and although things had already happened between them there was still a chance to stop things now before they went too far. But, did he really want to put a stop to this?

“Okay…” Charles said eventually. “Let’s go”.

 

As it transpired, an evening that had been somewhat shitty to begin with actually ended up being pretty great. Charles spent the rest of the night in a restaurant with Erik, chatting and sharing stories as they enjoyed some particularly delicious Italian food.

When the meal was over Charles went with Erik back to his apartment, as promised, though they didn’t end up sleeping together after all- at least not in any carnal way. By that point it was nearing two in the morning, and both Charles and Erik were equally tired and completely full of food.

Charles lay next to Erik on his bed, exchanging intermittent kisses as they continued to talk and get to know each other better. Eventually Charles could feel himself starting to drift off to sleep, only waking with a slight jolt when he felt Erik reach over and begin to tug his jacket off.

“Relax, Liebling- I’m just trying to make you more comfortable”, Erik murmured, sliding the jacket down Charles’ arms. Charles nudged Erik away and sat up fully to remove the garment himself before doing the same thing with his tie, and after a moment reaching down to undo his trousers too as Erik did the same.

Eventually Charles returned to his position lying next to Erik, snuggling closer as Erik wrapped his arms around Charles and pulled him into an embrace under the covers.

 

****

 

That night with Erik- it had been the start of something. It meant more than the intimacy they’d shared in the closet, maybe because it was the first time Charles and Erik had really talked- a night spent exchanging information as well as heartfelt kisses.

Part of Charles wondered if he wished he’d done something differently; imagining what it would be like to go back and undo that moment and the next and all the ones that followed- every single second of his time Erik- so that he could feel whole again. But Charles knew that it wouldn’t have worked- he knew that meeting Erik had felt very much like finding something that he didn’t know he’d been looking for his entire life.

 

 

 

Charles was true to his word for the rest of the day- he remained hidden in his room, and thankfully for once it seemed like Raven and the rest of the group were willing to give him space.

There was another fancy dinner scheduled for that evening but Charles didn’t make an appearance. He ordered room service and sat on his bed watching bad television and absently picking at this food- plagued by thoughts of Erik as he always was.

How could Charles have thought that he and Erik would be able to just spend time together without getting consumed by petty arguments? It was why they were no longer in a relationship, after all- the differences between them had become more and more evident in time, and they hadn’t been strong enough to work through the issues. A year may have passed, but why would that mean that anything had changed? Charles didn’t even know if Erik was capable of change, or whether he was himself. 

Being by yourself watching reality TV for hours was actually considerably dull, and in time Charles found himself drifting off to sleep. However, he woke with a slight jolt when he heard a quiet tapping on his door.

Charles reluctantly withdrew from bed, crossing the room and grumbling to himself in annoyance at the interruption, but when he neared the door he abruptly stopped.

Erik. Not just a thought this time but a very real presence standing on the other side of the door. Charles didn’t even need to look through the peephole to know Erik was there- Charles could feel him even from inside the room, which meant that Emma wasn’t with him shielding his mind.

Charles took a couple more steps forward and before coming to a stop just in front of the door, reaching a hand forward to rest against the surface but not actually daring to open it. How could he face Erik now? What would be the point? Charles didn’t enjoy arguing, and any time he and Erik had disagreed in the past it had always ended in a similar vein- with Charles leaving the situation and allowing Erik time to calm down. When he was ready Erik would always come find Charles, and although Erik would never apologise they would always make up- because Charles hated fighting and he just wanted a simple life, and because he believed in choosing his battles carefully. This time, however, was different, and Charles had in no way expected Erik to come looking for him, so he was completely taken aback by the fact that Erik was now standing outside his room.

“Charles…” came the muffled sound from the other side of the door. “Charles, are you in there?”

Oh. This wasn’t what Charles had expected either. Just hearing Erik’s voice was like opening up a channel between his mind and Charles’, and suddenly Charles got a very real sense of Erik’s overall mood at that particular moment. There was… remorse. It wasn’t an emotion Erik expressed often, and Charles really didn’t know how to take it.

“Charles… _Please_ ”.

Another surprising development- Erik wasn’t one to beg.

Charles remained pressed up against the door for a short duration, wanting fiercely to open it and face Erik, but at the same time finding himself unable to think of anything worse than seeing him. There was a further light tap on the door but no other words, and before long Charles felt the echo of sigh coming from Erik’s mind before his presence slowly grew fainter until it disappeared altogether.

Charles sighed too, and whether it was a sign of relief or some other emotion Charles wasn’t quite sure.

As Charles turned away from the door and began to cross the room back over to his bed there was a faint buzzing in his trouser pocket that he recognised as coming from his phone. Retrieving the device, Charles unlocked the screen and was surprised to see one message waiting for him- from Erik.

It was concise- like Erik was- nothing more than a simple word: ‘Sorry’.

Maybe people really could change, after all…


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

When Raven had selected the venue for her wedding it’s fair to say Charles hadn’t exactly been thrilled with her choice. For the most part though his initial concerns had been rather mundane- mostly worrying that the weather would be crap and lamenting the lack of the amenities in the local area. Charles had never imagined that the choice of venue would end up being such an unfavourable choice because it meant he would end up trapped in his hotel room, reluctant to leave for fear of running into his ex-boyfriend.

After his explosive argument with Erik, Charles had remained locked in his room for a full day and was starting to wonder how much longer he could hide away. It wasn’t that he was afraid of seeing Erik necessarily, he just didn’t want to cause another awkward scene and risk upsetting Raven’s wedding. With that in mind, Charles had already made peace with the idea of just staying in his hotel room for the remainder of the event, however boring that may have been, but like always Raven had other ideas…

“You can’t just stay in here, Charles”, Raven protested, fixing Charles with fierce glare and folding her arms.

“Why not? I’ll still come out for the big day, I just don’t want to get into it with Erik again in the meantime. Really, it’s just better for everyone that I stay hidden…”

“It’s not better for me, you big idiot”, Raven replied, exasperated. “You’re my brother- I want you to be a part of this- all of it. I don’t care if you and Erik have a couple of squabbles here and there, after all- what’s a wedding without a bit of family drama?”

Charles opened his mouth, starting to protest but thinking better of it when Raven’s expression shifted into one of sadness rather than annoyance.

“Please, Charles- you’re all I have…” Raven added, and Charles’ fate really was sealed.

“Ughhh fine”, Charles relented, and immediately Raven unfolded her arms and stepped across the room towards him- wrapping her arms around Charles and squeezing tight.

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!” Raven exclaimed, and Charles couldn’t help but smile at her infectious joy.

“Okay, okay- come on, sis- let me go”.

Raven finished hugging Charles, stepping back and watching him with a beaming smile on her face. Charles would have thought that, after all these years, Raven would be used to getting her own way, but she seemed to enjoy victory each time nonetheless. Still, just because Charles was willing to finally leave his room, it didn’t mean that he was prepared to go along with everything that Raven wanted…

“Look, Raven- I’ll come out for dinner or whatever, but I really don’t want to take part in tonight’s activity…” Charles started, fixing his sister with a withering look.

“Oh, Charles- don’t be such an old grump, it’ll be fun!”

Charles suspected that he and Raven had very different ideas about what constituted ‘fun’…

 

 

 

A scavenger hunt.

Charles had almost laughed when Raven had told him the plan, mainly because he’d thought she was joking… Perhaps he should have seen it coming- ever since Raven had gotten engaged she had been obsessed with finding unique wedding ideas; spending hours and hours poring over bridal magazines and scouring websites, looking for suggestions as to how to entertain her guests. A wedding-related scavenger hunt sounded just like the sort of thing that Raven would have chosen for them to do, only- to Charles’ surprise- it had actually been Azazel who had come up with the idea.

Clearly Azazel knew his future-bride extremely well, and indeed he was the perfect person to set up the activity given that he could use his powers of teleportation to move around the area and make sure everything was in place. It was supposed to be a relatively simple affair- the guests would work in teams of two and would be given a set of clues to various wedding-themes items dotted around the hotel grounds that they would need to locate and take a photograph of. Once all the items had been found, the first team back would win… well, Azazel had neglected to clarify exactly what the winners would get- he’d just uttered something in Russian and slipped into a slight smirk.

Charles wasn’t particularly looking forward to the scavenger hunt, but he supposed there was at least a small mercy in the fact that Erik wouldn’t be joining in. It hadn’t come as much of a surprise to Charles- Erik wasn’t really one for light-hearted games- and Charles was relieved that it seemed like he would be able to go a little bit longer before having to speak to Erik again.

 

The sun was just setting when the activity commenced. Charles was paired with Hank, and the two of them headed off into the dark- with Charles grumbling slightly about the apparent inequalities of the teams…

“That doesn’t exactly seem fair to me …” Charles complained, watching as a member of a nearby team used their mutation to make their skin glow to illuminate their way. In response Charles fiddled with the torch in his hands, banging it against his arm to try and get it to work before eventually handing it over to Hank.

“Well, Charles- those guys are not the only ones with powers. Can’t you just use your telepathy to convince everyone else that we won already?”

“That might be a tad unethical, Hank…”

“Mm, perhaps...” Hank replied, using the torch to see as he peered down at the piece of paper he held in his hands. “Okay, so which item should we start with. This clue says we have to find ‘the structure under which a happy couple has their first kiss’… What on earth does that mean?”

“Wedding arch. There’s an archway by the seating area around the back of the hotel”, Charles explained, “I can see it from my room”.

“Alright, then”, Hank replied. “Let’s do this, I guess…”

 

As it turned out, the scavenger hunt wasn’t quite as bad as Charles had feared. He and Hank found the items with relative ease, ensured of their success by the fact that each piece was illuminated by candles and accompanied by a photograph of Raven and Azazel together. Charles had to admit the whole thing was kind of cute, and he hated to concede that he was maybe even beginning to enjoy himself a little bit as he and Hank debated what each clue meant. Still, it was cold outside and Charles was very much looking forward to returning to the hotel for a hot cup of tea.

In time they’d found all but two items and, with the night drawing in, they soon decided to split up in order to finish the hunt quicker.

Charles was confident he was on the right track, particularly as he passed a couple of other wedding guests on his way to the location. As it turned out Charles was correct, and he snapped a quick picture with his phone before turning around and heading back towards the hotel.

Unfortunately for Charles his quest for the last item had forced him a considerable distance out from the hotel, and he was faced with a lengthy walk back along a path barely illuminated by the moonlight. The standard route wasn’t necessarily the quickest, and Charles felt the need to leave the main path and cut through the hotel gardens in hopes of getting back sooner.

It had seemed like such a good idea… Okay, so it was dark and Charles could barely see ten steps in front of him, but at least he would be safe and warm soon, or so he thought…

Although Charles’ telepathy generally meant he was rarely surprised, there were still occasions when circumstances would manifest in a manner that he hadn’t foreseen. Charles had been hurrying towards the hotel, not really thinking about much else other than a warm drink when suddenly he’d felt it. He came to a stop just in front of a large water fountain, tension amassing in his body as he watched Erik step out of the darkness in front of him.

Perhaps Charles should have seen it coming. The previous night Erik had tried to speak to Charles, and although he had left when Charles hadn’t responded maybe Charles should have known that it wouldn’t just be the end of the matter.

Erik had always been very forthright, and not shy about getting what he wanted…

 

****

 

Although the initial start of their relationship had been hot and heavy, Charles and Erik didn’t actually end up having full sex for a long time after they started dating.

Charles was willing… Probably… Maybe… It was hard to say. He hadn’t had much experience with men before, and being with Erik made him undeniably nervous- like he’d been stripped of his usual bravado, though even that was usually spurred on by alcohol. Erik was just so sure of himself- so certain of who he was and what he wanted; a complete contradiction to how Charles felt inside in spite of his outward bluster. It came as a relief to Charles in some way though, as Erik’s confidence meant Charles could allow him to be the one to take charge in their relationship. He felt like he would do almost anything Erik wanted, just so long as they didn’t have to fucking _talk_ _about it_.

Ever since he was young Charles had never been very good at expressing himself. He’d never really needed to be- his telepathy granted him access to the mental state of everyone around him, and he’d never really considered the necessity of sharing such information in return. It wasn’t that he was completely closed-off, rather than he had a strong sense of self-preservation and was very selective about what he was willing to share with others. Unfortunately, though, Erik seemed determined to change that…

“Is this alright?” Erik murmured, lips brushing against the skin of Charles’ neck.

“Um, yeah… fine…” Charles responded, resting his forehead against Erik’s shoulder. They were both sat on Erik’s bed dressed only in their underwear- Erik leaning back against the headboard and Charles straddling his waist, arms wrapped around Erik’s shoulders as Erik kissed Charles’ neck and palmed Charles’ hard cock through his boxer shorts.

“Fine?” Erik asked, leaning back to grin at Charles. “Thanks, Charles- that’s just the kind of response that makes it all worth it: ‘fine’…”

“Well, what do you want me to say?” Charles mumbled, biting his lip as he looked at Erik.

Erik smiled again, sliding one hand to cup Charles’ face as he looked at him earnestly. “Just be honest, Liebling. I want you to be comfortable with me, but you seem very nervous... Charles, you have slept with another man before, right?”

“Yesssss”, Charles replied, resenting the blush he knew was starting to appear on his face. “A few, I mean, several- loads, even… I’m a major slut- didn’t I tell you?”

Erik laughed, wrapping his arms around Charles’ waist and pulling him closer. “Oh yeah, you seem really slutty to me...” he smirked. “Come on, Charles- honestly, it doesn’t matter to me either way but I’m just curious, and I don’t want to do anything to make you feel uncomfortable”.

Charles took a deep breath, wondering how to explain his sexual history to Erik- how he’d only fully realised he was attracted to men in his late teens, how it had taken even longer to act on that attraction, and even then it had only been a few encounters adding up to maybe three-and-a-half one night stands.

“I’ve slept with men before, just never… long-term…” Charles explained eventually. “Not that I’m assuming this is long-term or anything, I just mean, oh god- I don’t know. This isn’t really what I’m used to- most guys just want to get on with it, you know? Isn’t that what you want too?”

Erik smiled. “We can go at whatever pace you’d like, Charles- just tell me”.

Charles bit his lip again, considering what he wanted and how to communicate that to Erik. Eventually he trailed his fingertips down Erik’s chest slowly, coming to rest his hands just over Erik’s stomach- looking down at the impressive bulge in Erik’s boxer shorts in interest.

“Can I see?” Charles asked quietly. He felt Erik smile in response rather than saw the expression considering he was still looking down at the time, and he shuffled backwards a bit as Erik reached down into his underwear with one hand and withdrew his cock.

Charles didn’t mean to gasp out loud- it was such a childish response- but he couldn’t help himself. He knew Erik was well-endowed, he’d felt as much, but seeing it _in the flesh_ so to speak was another experience entirely.

“My god, you’re massive…” Charles mumbled, swallowing hard in an attempt to dispel his nerves.

Erik gave out a short laugh. “ _Danke_ … You see- this, Charles, is part of the reason I’m not exactly rushing into fucking you. I want to- believe me I want to- but in my experience it can be a bit _uncomfortable_ for any partner I’ve had at first, and that’s the last thing I want for you”.

“So you don’t want to sleep with me?” Charles asked, looking back up to meet Erik’s eyes at last.

“No, Liebling- not yet. I think we need to work up to that, okay? But that’s not to say there’s not other things we can do in the meantime…”

Charles smiled slightly, feeling a buzz of excitement run through him like a crackle of nervous energy. “What did you have in mind?” he asked.

 

After that, Erik removed Charles’ underwear and laid him back on the bed- ranging over Charles and sliding his hands over Charles’ body as he kissed him. It was pretty standard fare as first- lying under Erik and kissing him and attempting to run his hands along Erik’s back, before Erik placed Charles’ arms above his head- instructing him to grip the headboard and to keep his hands there. In the next moment Erik brought his body closer, pressing himself down into Charles and starting to grind his cock against Charles’ own.

“Alright?” Erik mumbled, lips just brushing against Charles’ mouth for a moment before he withdrew and looked down at Charles for confirmation. Charles managed a nod in response and Erik smiled briefly before continuing his rhythm; kissing Charles passionately as he continued to rock into him.

Charles lay under Erik feeling completely overwhelmed, but in a glorious dizzying way. He hadn’t engaged in this kind of activity before and it was undeniably exciting, and it wasn’t long before Charles was overcome by breathless moans and tremors as Erik increased the speed of the frottage, until Charles was biting his lip and grasping at the headboard desperately. Erik leaned back, using one hand to hold his cock more firmly against Charles’ as he conducted his final few thrusts, watching Charles’ face as his expression tensed with pleasure and he came over himself, with Erik following suit a few moments later.

Even though Charles’ eyes were closed he could feel Erik smiling, and Charles was warmed by the feeling of Erik’s contentment as Erik leaned over once more- lips just brushing against Charles’ mouth in a tender kiss.

“Are you alright, Charles?” Erik murmured.

Charles opened his eyes, slipping into an uncontrolled grin.

“Do you have any other ideas for fun things we can do?” Charles asked.

 

Over the following weeks Charles and Erik continued to see each other regularly. They kept the nature of their arrangement hidden whilst at work, which wasn’t especially difficult considering Charles spent most of his time in the labs and Erik was located on the higher levels of the building in his plush office.

Erik didn’t ask Charles to help out with any more of the Brotherhood’s activities; instead Erik preoccupied Charles’ time with numerous evenings spent at restaurants and bars or at Erik’s apartment whilst Erik cooked or while they curled up together in front of the television. They never went to Charles’ house, specifically because Raven was living with Charles at the time and he didn’t want her to find out. Raven being made aware of Charles’ and Erik’s involvement would only result in Charles having to answer some rather awkward questions, given that Raven didn’t even know that Charles was bisexual… It wasn’t like Charles was lying to his sister, rather that he’d decided a long time ago that he would only disclose such information to Raven should he become involved in a serious relationship, and it hadn’t happened yet.

Given the secrecy surrounding their involvement Charles never spent the night with Erik, although he’d seriously considered it on the occasions when he was sure that Raven was staying over at Azazel’s and therefore wouldn’t notice Charles’ absence. Erik protested and tried to convince Charles to stay over more than once, but Charles always insisted that he needed to return home.

Sometimes though, the nature of the activities Erik and Charles engaged in made the decision for Charles to leave all the more difficult, especially as the intimacy between them continued to increase and Erik continued to come up with ever-more-inventive ways of preparing Charles for full sex…

 

“Ah… ah, wait a minute, no, okay- keep going… Ah! Oh god…”

Charles rested his forehead against the mattress, hands bound at the wrists by taut material, face tensing as he felt wave after wave of pleasure rock through him. It was like a relentless onslaught, but the delicious kind- a continuous pulse of enjoyment that made Charles’ legs feel weak and his cock throb.

“Alright, Charles?” Erik asked from where he knelt behind Charles on the bed, palm rubbing Charles’ lower back soothingly.

“Mm-hmm…” Charles replied, chewing on his lower lip before exhaling a long, drawn-out breath.

Charles had always been impressed by powerful mutations- Erik’s in particular; dazzled by the way Erik could mould and move metal to his will. Of course, Charles had never imagined that Erik would use his ability in this manner…

Charles knew it might take a while for him to be ready to take Erik’s cock, but in the meantime there was this- a sizeable metal vibrator that was currently half-way inserted into Charles’ ass. Erik had edged it in with lube and gentle persuasion, paying careful attention to Charles’ resultant whimpers and moans and making sure not to push him too far.

“Just a little bit more, Liebling…” Erik murmured, using his powers to slide the vibrator further in.

The cool metal travelled a bit deeper, and then Charles let out a frantic groan as he felt the end brush against his prostate causing spasms of pleasure to rock through his body.

“Fuckkkkkkkkkkkk!” Charles exclaimed.

It was the first time Erik had heard Charles curse, and apparently it was an entertaining sound as Charles could feel Erik’s mind brighten with growing amusement.

“Let me know if it gets too much”, Erik said, edging closer to Charles on the mattress and grasping him firmly on both hips. Erik took up position behind Charles, pressing his cock against Charles’ ass and beginning to slide it along the line of Charles’ buttocks.

Charles continued to remain knelt over on the bed, clenching his fists in the bedsheets and twisting against the ties that bound him, groaning quietly as Erik continued to thrust along the line of his ass. The intensity of the vibrations inside Charles were staggering, and it wasn’t long before Charles was gasping for breath and curling his toes and eventually coming hard across the mattress in hot spurts, before collapsing forward.

The subsequent moments were heady and intense. Charles writhed on the mattress, trembling as the metal insert continued to vibrate inside him, trying to gesture at Erik to remove it but finding words impossible. Evidently Erik understood though and he used his powers to withdraw the vibrator; the resulting sensation leaving Charles feeling open and empty.

“Are you alright, Charles?” Erik murmured, leaning over Charles and brushing the hair back from his forehead.

Charles looked over at Erik, glancing down and realising that Erik was still hard and wanting to do something about it but finding himself still incapacitated by orgasm. Erik chuckled quietly before leaning forward, pressing a quick kiss to the side of Charles’ mouth that Charles turned into; lifting his tied arms over Erik and pulling him into an embrace.

They remained entwined on the bedsheets for a short duration whilst Charles recovered. Charles lay with his head pressed into Erik’s chest, mouth pressing occasional kisses to Erik’s skin as Erik ran his fingers up and down Charles’ spine. When sentient thought was once again restored Charles moved to withdraw, succumbing to a need to get clean and an awareness that he should be returning home before Raven suspected anything.

“Wait, where are you going?” Erik mumbled, holding Charles by the material around his wrists.

“To take a shower, and then I need to go home”.

“Nuh-uh”, Erik replied, pulling Charles closer. “It’s late- stay here tonight”.

“I can’t, Raven--”

“Charles you’re a grown man- you can stay away from your sister for one night; I’m sure she’ll understand- you can just tell her you stayed at a friend’s or something”.

“But I--”

“No, Liebling…”, Erik implored, reaching up to trace fingers along Charles’ jawline and gazing at him imploringly. “Just one night, I’ll make it worth your while…”

“You already have…” Charles smiled. “I don’t think I can take any more”.

Erik matched Charles’ smile with an equally wide grin of his own. “Oh, I think you can…”

Charles opened his mouth to protest further but the words failed him. Erik always had a tendency to be incredibly persuasive, and Charles knew then how willing he was to submit to Erik’s will- almost like he was bound to him.

 

****

 

Given the nature of Erik’s determination, Charles found no real surprise in the fact that Erik was now standing in front of him.

Charles stood impassively still, watching as Erik stepped towards him from the shadows. It was startling how much just seeing Erik made Charles _feel_ ; a surge of emotion that was impossible to put into words. Recently every time he saw Erik the main thing he felt was trepidation, but it was undeniable that there was something bittersweet hidden in there too- emotions like joy and sadness all mixed together.

Erik came to a stop just a few metres in front of Charles, standing still with his hands shoved in the pockets of his hooded jumper whilst watching Charles carefully and quietly. Erik had always had eyes for Charles- an intensity of gaze that made Charles feel like he’d been stripped completely bare.

“Hello, Charles…” Erik said eventually.

Charles opened his mouth but no sound came out. He felt cold- shivering slightly in the balmy autumn air and wanting to return to the safety and warmth of the hotel, and cursing himself for ever listening to Raven and agreeing to go along with this stupid scavenger hunt.

“I came to your room last night…” Erik continued. “I know you were in there- why didn’t you answer the door?”

Charles shrugged. “I was sleeping, I guess…”

“Really?” Erik huffed, looking distinctly unimpressed. “Because I heard the sound from your TV. I suppose I could have just imagined it, of course- there’s no way you would be so childish as to ignore me…”

“ _I’m_ childish??” Charles uttered incredulously. “You--”

“Wait”, Erik interrupted, holding up both hands as if to stop Charles’ words. “Wait, let’s not do this. I don’t want to argue with you, that’s not why I’m here”.

“Well, why are you here?” Charles asked, pulling a face.

Erik paused, looking at Charles thoughtfully. “Because I… care for you. Because I know I upset you, and I wanted to apologise for that. What I did was completely wrong, and I never should have said those things to you, particularly not in front of other people. I’m sorry, Charles”.

“Oh…” Charles replied softly. Erik’s words had all the calmness of a bomb, and Charles couldn’t help but be rocked by the implications of them.

“Oh?” Erik huffed derisively.

Charles shifted uncomfortably. “What do you want from me? I don’t really know how to respond to that. You’ve got to admit, making amends is pretty unprecedented for you…”

“Yes, well… maybe I’ve changed”.

“Better late than never…” Charles muttered bitterly. It wasn’t particularly fair, and Charles regretted the words as soon as they were out, but by that point it was too late anyway.

Charles regarded Erik carefully, seeing a tremor of emotion flit across Erik’s face, feeling a flicker of sorrow pass through Erik’s mind. Charles wasn’t trying to pry, but every time he was around Erik he felt himself drawn to him- mentally, thanks to his telepathy, physically, thanks to his desire… And it didn’t help that Erik’s mind was just so open- like it always was around Charles. It had always been that way, even if Charles had been resistant at first.

The connection was there now, bright and tangible, like Erik’s mind was reaching out into the space between them. Charles wasn’t trying to encroach on Erik’s mentality but he couldn’t help but pick up on things anyway, and in the next second there was one clear thought cutting like glass- Erik thinking: _“It’s all my fault”._

“I don’t blame you…” Charles said quietly, eyes fixed on Erik. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, and Erik had no way of knowing what Charles was even referring to. Charles didn’t elaborate though, he just drew his arms closer around himself and turned away from Erik’s intense gaze- shivering in the cool air.

“You’re cold…” Erik murmured, stepping closer to Charles. He began to unzip his hooded top and immediately Charles started to protest.

“Erik, come on- you don’t need to do that, I’m fine…”

“Just take it- I know how much you bitch when you’re cold”.

Erik knew what he was talking about. Charles remembered standing with Erik one night- complaining bitterly about the cold conditions and cursing Raven for insisting that they all stand outside to watch a firework display for one of her many engagement parties. Erik had provided Charles with a cup of tea and had wrapped him in a blanket, standing behind Charles and placing his hands over Charles’ ears to keep them warm and to protect him from the loud noises.

The memory was bittersweet- a pleasant recollection tinged with sadness now that it was over, and Charles wanted desperately to ask Erik if he ever thought about that night, but part of him didn’t want to know the answer.

Stepping closer, Erik draped his jacket over Charles’ shoulders and held it so Charles could slide his arms inside. Once Charles had placed his arms in Erik began to zip the jacket up, gazing down as he lifted the zipper and eventually locking eyes with Charles once the jacket was secure.

“Thank you…” Charles murmured, gazing up at Erik.

Erik was standing so close that Charles could feel the heat from his body, and his hands were still resting against Charles’ chest. Charles’ eyes dropped briefly to the line of Erik’s mouth as he tried to remember the last time they’d kissed. It seemed like so long ago, but Charles still remembered the way it tasted.

“ _Bitte schön…_ ” Erik replied quietly, holding onto the front of the jacket for a further moment before letting go and stepping back a couple of paces. “Can I walk you back?”

Charles paused, considering the question, before he nodded.

 

The journey back to the hotel was short and tense. Charles and Erik walked side-by-side in silence, and Charles could practically feel the space between himself and Erik like an invisible barrier. He waited for Erik to say something- _anything_ \- but Erik was characteristically mute, and pretty quickly Charles realised that it was up to him to make the first move this time.

“You said I left you a voicemail”, Charles blurted out.

Erik turned briefly to regard Charles, eyebrows slightly raised in interest.

“I did…”

“Are you ever going to tell me what I said on it?”

Erik’s eyes narrowed in consternation. “You mean you haven’t just read my mind to find out?”

Charles shook his head. “No… Will you tell me?”

Erik paused, looking like he was deep in thought for a second before replying: “I would tell you, but I wouldn’t want to embarrass you…”

_“Oh god…”_ Charles thought, mind running away with possibilities. Charles knew he had a tendency to be a bit of a lush, and that often when he’d had a drink he became rather loose-lipped, and loose-trousered… His thoughts wandered briefly to numerous nights spend drinking with Erik, when they had fallen into bed and Charles had draped himself all over Erik and kissed him and whispered in his ear all the dirty and scandalous things he wanted to do to him.

“You were always very fun when you’d had a drink…” Erik said, and Charles wondered if Erik was thinking about the same thing as he was.

 

They arrived at the hotel with no further words exchanged. Charles entered the lobby to find various guests mingling around the area, each discussing the success or failure of their scavenger hunt. Hank was waiting, and as soon as he caught sight of Charles and Erik standing together his eyes grew wide in surprise.

“I’ll leave you to your activity…” Erik murmured, reaching over to gently grasp Charles on the arm. Charles turned towards him in an instant, holding Erik’s arm in return and looking up at him imploringly.

“Wait, you don’t have to go…” Charles replied. He didn’t even really know what he was talking about- why he was asking Erik to stay- all he knew is that he didn’t want Erik to leave.

“It’s fine, Charles- you go to your friends, we can talk another day”.

“I still want to know what I said in that message…”

Erik smiled. “It doesn’t really matter what you said, Charles. A lot of it was very garbled anyway- it sounded like you were speaking from the inside of a wine bottle”.

“But… But you said that message was the reason you decided to come to the wedding, so I must have said something pretty interesting to have given you that idea…”

Erik paused for a second, watching Charles carefully with an expression on his face that could easily be described as fond.

“You didn’t give me an idea, Charles… You gave me hope”.

Charles found himself softly stunned in that moment, but before he could ask for further explanation Erik leaned close and pressed a brief kiss to Charles’ cheek. Charles practically felt himself swoon in response- the scent of Erik’s skin and the softness of his lips causing an uncontrolled thrill to run through Charles’ body- but before Charles could fully sink into the moment Erik withdrew.

“ _Tschüss_ , Charles”, Erik said briefly before turning to leave.

“Wait, your jacket…” Charles started.

Erik’s eyes roved in an assessment of Charles before he smiled and replied: “It’s okay, you can keep it- it looks better on you anyway”.

Erik flashed Charles a final wide smile before he turned and walked briskly across the room and over to the elevator. Charles continued to watch Erik as he left, not tearing his eyes away until he felt Hank approaching from across the room.

“What was that about?” Hank asked, looking about as confused as Charles felt.

“I have no idea”, Charles replied. But he knew deep down that he was looking forward to finding out.


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

Charles awoke the next morning no longer consumed with a sense of dread. There was excitement- bright and shimmering, just glittering under the surface of Charles’ thoughts, and he sensed the feeling even before he fully awakened, and knew very clearly the reason why.

Rolling onto his side on the bed, Charles pressed his face into the jacket lying on the pillow next to himself, inhaling Erik’s scent and closing his eyes. Charles knew he would be very embarrassed about such behaviour were anyone else around, but fortunately he was alone so he was able to indulge himself.

After his brief encounter with Erik yesterday Charles had spent the rest of the evening feeling somewhat imbalanced, but in a promising way- like this kind of disorientation could be fixed by holding onto something for support, or someone…

Charles opened his eyes, still finding the visage of Erik’s face playing around his mind- remembering Erik leaning close last night and pressing a kiss to his cheek. It was such a small gesture, but it seemed like it could be the start of something and Charles knew that, whatever it was, he was unlikely to try and resist its power.

 

 

 

Later in the day Charles was sat downstairs with various wedding guests enjoying a lavish lunch. Raven had been overjoyed when she’d seen the setup- it was just the kind of quaint English spread that she’d hoped for, and Charles found it hard not to smile when Raven had started to wave cute little triangular sandwiches in his face.

“Isn’t this amazing?!” Raven trilled, reaching for a scone and placing it on her plate. “Can you pass me the jelly?” she added.

“It’s jam…” Charles clarified, handing Raven a jar.

“Huh?”

“Jam, not jelly. If you want to have the full English experience you’re going to have to start using the language properly”.

Raven pulled a face. “Wanker…”

Charles smiled. “Much better”.

Turning away from Raven, Charles reached for some sandwiches and some crisps- starting to munch happily whilst looking around the room. Erik hadn’t come in yet, not that Charles was looking out for him of course…

“Have you seen him yet today?” Hank asked.

Charles glanced over to Hank, shaking his head briefly. It was just like Hank to notice Charles’ distraction, and to be concerned with the wellbeing of his friend.

“I can only imagine how difficult this situation is…” Hank added, glancing over at Raven forlornly. Charles felt a brief pang of sadness as he took in Hank’s despondent expression- realising that, whilst attending the wedding and seeing Erik had been hard for himself, perhaps in some ways the event was even more difficult for Hank considering he was besotted with the bride and had been for many years.

“Want a quickie?” Azazel interrupted, leaning close to speak to Hank and causing him to practically jump out of his seat.

Immediately Charles started to laugh as he took in the alarmed expression on Hank’s face.

“Azazel… it’s pronounced ‘quiche’”, Charles explained, chuckling to himself.

Azazel shrugged. “This is stupid language…” he replied, shoving a large piece of quiche in his mouth in one go.

“Quite”, Charles replied, smirking.

 

It wasn’t until perhaps ten minutes later that Erik entered the room. Immediately Charles felt himself brighten in response as he sat up straight and watched Erik approach; unsurprised at the fact that Erik looked incredibly handsome in a white shirt and beige trousers. Erik stepped over towards the tables and Charles flashed him a welcoming smile in response, but the expression quickly crumpled as someone came up behind Erik and wrapped their arms around him.

“Come on, sugar, let’s go sit over here”, Emma requested, gazing up at Erik and apparently ignoring the rest of the group.

Erik’s eyes remained locked with Charles’ as a brief flicker passed over his face that Charles could barely interpret, before eventually he began to follow Emma who led him away by the hand.

“What’s all that about?” Raven asked, looking over at Charles questioningly.

Charles didn’t have a response. He didn’t want to put into words how stupid he felt for allowing himself to believe for a moment that there was potentially still something between himself and Erik, when clearly Erik had already moved on.

Charles watched Erik sitting next to Emma, stomach churning at the sight of Emma touching Erik’s forearm and leaning close to talk to him and whispering in his ear. It wasn’t the most scandalous exchange to observe but it made Charles sad nonetheless, particularly as his mind began to wander- remembering the level of intimacy he and Erik had shared in the past…

 

****

 

For the first several weeks of Charles’ time with Erik their involvement with each other continued to be clandestine in nature, but Charles found the inconveniences of keeping such a secret from his work colleagues- and his sister in particular- were substantially outweighed by the enjoyment he attained from such an experience. Charles visited Erik at his apartment a few times a week, and even though he still maintained his resolution not to stay the night, Charles found this resolve oft times hard to keep up- especially as Erik could be very persuasive in nature...

“Stay with me…” Erik murmured, tracing his fingers across Charles’ hand.

Charles held his hand up against Erik’s, admiring the difference in size, sliding his fingers in-between Erik’s and locking them together, and Erik turned his attention to Charles’ neck- starting to place kisses against the skin whilst using his other hand to gently stroke through Charles’ hair.

Most nights ended up like this. There had been food which Erik had prepared first, then chess and quiet conversation, and now they were curled up together in one armchair in front of the fire- Erik sitting down with Charles in his lap. It was approaching close to the time when Charles usually made his excuses to leave, which clearly Erik recognised by the way he was making concerted efforts to change the night’s predicted progression.

“I can’t…” Charles protested, drawing in a shaky breath as Erik began to nibble on his earlobe. “Raven’s home alone, and she’s already texted me twice to ask where I am”.

“Well, just tell her you’re working late. Stay here with me- I’ll pay you”.

Charles laughed. “Erik, I’m not a whore you know…” he replied, and Erik leaned back to smile widely at Charles.

“That’s a shame. There’s not much I wouldn’t be willing to offer to have you in my bed for the night, particularly after all the preparation we’ve done…”

Erik traced his fingers along Charles’ thigh as he continued to smile at him, and Charles considered what he was referring to. Over the past couple of weeks Erik and Charles had spent numerous occasions in bed together, engaging in intimacies but stopping short of having full sex. Erik was significantly more well-endowed than anyone else Charles had ever slept with before, and consequently they were being suitably cautious when it came to penetrative sex; working Charles up to it with the use of fingers and toys and copious amounts of lube.

“Do you want to try?” Erik asked, and suddenly leaving was the last thing on Charles’ mind.

 

Sometime later Charles was naked in Erik’s bed, just like Erik had wanted. Charles lay on his side facing Erik, enjoying the warmth of Erik’s mouth and the tenderness of his touch. After a few minutes of careful caresses Erik lifted one of Charles’ legs so that it was draped over his waist, providing Erik with the room to slip his hand in-between Charles’ legs and to gradually begin to slide his fingers into Charles’ entrance. Charles flinched slightly in response to the coldness of the lube but he’d become accustomed to Erik’s touch so he accepted it without question. At least, that’s what he thought he was doing…

“Charles, is everything alright?”

Charles opened his eyes to find Erik watching him carefully, his fingers still inside Charles but no longer moving.

“I’m fine, Erik- why?”

“Well…” Erik glanced down, looking at Charles hand which was apparently wrapped around Erik’s wrist quite pointedly, like he was ready to push Erik’s arm away at any minute.

“Oh…” Charles replied, unclenching his grip on Erik’s forearm.

“You know you can tell me to stop anytime, Charles…”

Charles nodded. “I know- it’s fine, I know that. I mean, I could stop you myself if I wanted to…” Charles gestured to his forehead, and immediately Erik shook his head.

“No, Charles- please don’t do that… I don’t mind you looking inside my mind or something like that, but I’d prefer if you didn’t try to control me. Just talk to me”.

“Okay, okay- I won’t use my telepathy”, Charles promised, leaning close to place a quick kiss to Erik’s lips. “But as for talking… well, it might not be that useful. You should know that I have a tendency to say no when I mean yes…”

“Really?” Erik smiled. “I kind of like that… Okay, well, in that case maybe we should have a safe word”.

Charles scoffed. “You really think we need a safe word this early in the relationship?”

In that moment Erik’s grin grew even wider. “Oh, so we’re in a relationship then, are we?” he replied with an extremely pleased expression. “I guess that means you’ll have to tell your sister about us…”

Charles knew he was blushing and it was a vulnerability he very much wished he could hide, but apparently Erik found it endearing as he leaned closer and pressed a sincere kiss to Charles’ forehead.

“Oxford…” Charles mumbled.

“Huh?” Erik replied, leaning back to regard Charles’ face questioningly.

“Oxford. For a safe word”.

Erik smiled. “ _Perfekt_ ”.

 

As it turned out, Charles didn’t need a safe word that night anyway. Erik was careful with him- tender and considerate as he prepared Charles, and more so as the act began.

Charles reclined back against the pillows, breathing hard, arms above his head, legs splayed vulnerably wide with Erik’s hands resting on his thighs.

“You’ll tell me if it hurts, won’t you Liebling?” Erik murmured, watching Charles carefully.

Charles nodded, and Erik gripped the base of his cock with one hand drew closer- resting his other hand against Charles’ stomach as he angled himself into the optimum position. They’d prepared as much as was possible, but Charles still found himself gritting his teeth slightly as he felt the head of Erik’s cock begin to push its way inside. It was uncomfortable, certainly, but it had taken so long to get to this point that Charles wasn’t about to put a stop to it now.

“Charles…?” Erik uttered, sounding strained. He’d stopped moving and was poised with just the head of his cock inside Charles; a stance which was clearly costing a tremendous effort to maintain considering Erik was trembling slightly.

“I’m fine, darling…” Charles said softly, using one hand to reach up and gently push Erik’s hair back from his forehead. “Come here…” At that, Charles wrapped his legs more firmly around Erik’s waist- pressing his heels into the small of Erik’s back in an attempt to get Erik to move closer. It worked, and Erik leaned over to rest on his forearms- continuing to watch Charles’ face as he slowly pushed his cock inside.

There were quite a few shaky murmurs from Charles, but eventually Erik’s member was buried to the hilt and they both slipped into uncontrolled smiles as they gazed at each other.

“Bloody finally…” Charles murmured, wrapping his arms around Erik’s shoulders and pulling him in for a kiss. Erik gave out a short laugh before his mouth met Charles’, and they continued to kiss for a while before Erik withdrew his cock as he began to set up his first thrust. The sensation was intense and it caused Charles to let out a slightly surprised whimper that was muffled by Erik’s mouth, but evidently Erik recognised Charles’ sensitivity as he immediately stopped his motions and looked at Charles- waiting for objection.

Charles shook his head and smiled, and Erik matched it with a grin before he dropped his head to kiss Charles, sliding his fingers in-between Charles’ and pressing Charles’ hands down against the mattress as he resumed his motions.

 

Compared to Charles’ previous experience of sleeping with men- which was rather limited- sex with Erik was far superior, and undoubtedly worth the wait. Afterwards Charles enjoyed a short spell in Erik’s luxury shower, and when he returned to the bedroom he was greeted by the captivating sight of Erik lying back on the bed; completely naked and sound asleep.

Erik stirred slightly as Charles knelt on the mattress, and more so as Charles climbed over him- lying down on top of Erik and smiling widely.

“Hi…” Charles grinned, dipping his head down to press a kiss to Erik’s lips.

“ _Hallo_ , Charles…” Erik replied, wrapping his arms around Charles’ back and beginning to trace fingers up and down his spine. “Are you alright? Does it still hurt?”

Charles gave a slight shrug. “A little, but I kind of like it. It’s like you’ve left a mark of ownership on me”.

“God that’s sexy…” Erik murmured, sliding his hands up to run through Charles’ hair.

“Speaking of marks…” Charles continued, tracing one finger along a small area just above Erik’s lip. “How did you get this scar?”

Erik shrugged. “I don’t know, Charles- I have so many scars…”

“Mm, yes- I bet; all those years being an oh-so-dangerous mobster. It’s funny though, I haven’t heard of many other mobsters who call their mother every night…”

Erik scowled. “I don’t call mama _every_ night…” he replied.

“No?” Charles asked, raising his eyebrows.

“No…” Erik huffed. “She calls me”.

Charles immediately let out a hearty laugh, and although Erik tried to look pissed off his expression faltered and he started smiling too.

“You’re adorable…” Charles whispered, running his hands through Erik’s hair affectionately. “But seriously- how did you get the scar?”

“I don’t remember every scar I got, Charles…”

“No, I know that- I don’t need to know about them all, just this one”.

“Why this one?”

“Because it’s my favourite”.

Erik pulled a face. “Charles, you can’t have a favourite scar…”

“Yes, I can”, Charles replied, bringing his face close to Erik’s. “And I… choose… this one”, he finished, pressing a kiss to the scar above Erik’s lip.

When Charles withdrew again he found Erik watching him carefully, and Charles felt a warm swell of emotion run over him that he couldn’t be sure came from Erik or himself. Erik didn’t say anything in response though, and eventually Charles raised his eyebrows and gave Erik a quick nudge.

“Washing line…” Erik replied.

“What?”

“When I was fifteen, I was helping mama with the laundry and we had one of those retractable washing lines. After we’d gathered all the clothes I unclipped it, but it flew out of my hand and whipped me across the face. I had to have three stitches…”

Charles’ smile grew wide before it turned into an uncontrolled grin- a joyous and rather goofy expression that apparently Erik enjoyed as he started to smile too. For a moment Charles just gazed down at Erik with sincere affection., tracing the scar above Erik’s lip softly, before leaning close to kiss him once more.

 

****

 

Charles closed his eyes as he relieved the memory; opening them eventually to find Hank watching him with concern from across the table.

“Charles…?” Hank started, but Charles shook his head before Hank could continue- reaching for the bottle of wine that was on the table and pouring himself a generous glass.

For the rest of the lunch Charles found himself trapped between two sets of eyes- Raven’s glare of disapproval on one side, and Erik’s stare on the other- though Charles could not discern the meaning behind whatever Erik’s expression meant.

 

 

 

Later that day Charles was still thinking about intimacy, but for entirely different reasons. He was in the hotel bar sat on a stool, one hand wrapped around a glass of whiskey and the other resting on a rather sizeable bicep…

“Wow…” Charles murmured, gazing at his companion seductively. “You must spend a lot of time working out…”

There was a huff in response that Charles assumed was a pleased sound, though it was hard to tell given the man’s gruff expression.

Charles had met Logan once or twice before- he was a friend of Azazel’s, and apparently he’d worked for the Brotherhood for some duration after Charles had left the company, until he’d been fired following some sort of altercation with Erik. In their earlier interactions Logan had always been curt and abrupt, but on this occasion he was slightly more relaxed- as evidenced by the way he was standing very close in-between Charles’ legs and resting one large hand on Charles’ thigh.

“My job is very physical”, Logan replied succinctly. “It requires me to be in peak physical shape”.

“I can see that…” Charles purred, continuing to trace his fingers against Logan’s arm. “So, what is it that you do, Logan?”

“I work in security”.

“Oh, wow- so you’re like a bodyguard? Does that mean if I found myself in danger you’d be willing to shield me with your body…?” Charles murmured, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Logan gave out a short sound of amusement. “Chuck, keep looking at me like that and I’d be willing to use my body in whichever way you’d like…”

Charles smiled, finishing the last of his whiskey before edging slightly closer on his seat.

“Logan, what’s your mutation?” Charles asked.

Logan’s brows drew together in a slight frown. “What makes you so sure I’m a mutant?”

“Well, I’m a telepath, so I can usually tell as soon as I’ve met someone. I could just use my telepathic ability to find out what you can do of course, but I’d prefer it if you showed me…”

“Please...?” Charles added, widening his eyes and looking at Logan imploringly. In response Logan smiled, before holding up the hand that had been resting against Charles’ thigh and making a fist.

Charles’ opened his mouth in an unspoken question as he waited for something to happen, but then three metal blades shot out from in-between Logan’s knuckles, causing Charles to jump in his seat.

“Oh my, I wasn’t expecting that…” Charles said softly, reaching up and beginning to trace one finger down the length of a blade, finding it curiously warm to the touch. “That’s very impressive, Logan”.

“It’s not all I can do”, Logan replied. Charles raised his eyebrows questioningly, and slowly the blades began to withdraw back into Logan’s knuckles until they disappeared completely. Charles continued to focus on Logan’s hand and the open cuts along his knuckles, mouth gaping slightly in surprise as the skin quickly began to heal until the cuts were completely closed.

Charles drew in a shaky breath, running one thumb along the ridges of Logan’s knuckles, finding himself transfixed and slightly dizzy- possibly due to the alcohol he’d imbued as well as the flirting.

“Are you satisfied?” Logan asked.

Charles glanced up to meet Logan’s eyes. “Not even slightly”.

Logan flashed Charles an inviting smirk. “Well, let’s see if we can do something about that…”

 

Sometime later Charles was almost back in his room. He’d made it most of the way there, but then things had got rather heated and Charles had found himself shoved up against the wall of the hotel corridor, with Logan pressed flush against his body.

Logan’s mouth was on Charles’ neck- kissing and sucking at Charles’ skin as his hands made similar excursions across Charles’ torso. Logan slid his hands under Charles’ shirt at the bottom, drawing his thumbs firmly across Charles’ stomach just above his trousers, causing Charles to groan in response- particularly as Logan drew closer and Charles felt the outline of Logan’s hard cock press against him.

“You like this?” Logan asked gruffly, before sinking his teeth into Charles’ shoulder. Charles let out a shaky moan in response, wrapping his arms around Logan’s neck for stability as he felt the room spin slightly as a result of his tipsiness, or perhaps as a result of what he was doing.

“Mm-hmm…” Charles replied, starting to moan as Logan reached down to grasp Charles’ cock through his trousers- palming against the area robustly. “Ah! Yes- yes, Erik…”

Charles didn’t realise what he’d said, not until Logan withdrew his mouth from Charles’ neck and his hand from Charles’ crotch, resting both palms against the wall either side of Charles and looking at him questioningly.

“What…?” Charles started, before he abruptly realised what he’d done and he felt a certain blush begin to rise in his cheeks.

“ _Erik?_ ” Logan questioned, scowling slightly in annoyance.

“No, sorry- shit, I don’t know why I said that”, Charles spluttered, feeling beyond mortified as Logan continued to stare at him.

“He was your boyfriend, wasn’t he?” Logan said quietly. “Azazel said the two of you used to be an item. I’d thought you’d been broken up for a while now?”

“Yes, it’s been more than a year since we were together. Shit, I’m sorry, Logan- that just slipped out, I didn’t mean it”.

“Well clearly you were thinking about him…”

“No, no I wasn’t- I swear”, Charles lied.

Logan leaned back from Charles, gazing down at him, and Charles could tell that Logan’s pride was hurt but that he was still interested. Charles leaned forward and pressed his lips against Logan’s forcefully, registering Logan’s slight surprise but obvious enjoyment; wrapping his arms around Logan’s shoulders as Logan slid his arms around Charles’ waist in response.

Charles was absolutely, definitely not thinking about Erik- at least that’s what he was telling himself as he continued to kiss Logan. Erik had moved on- Charles knew this, and so he knew he needed to do the same.

Things were just getting back to a suitable level of ardour once more when Charles felt it. Not Logan’s excitement, although that was still apparent both physically and mentally, but a feeling of jealousy and steadily rising rage that made him stop in his tracks, even before words were spoken.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Logan withdrew from the embrace, stepping slightly to the side and granting Charles the sight of Erik standing there watching them with his fists clenched at his sides. The expression on his face displayed mild annoyance at best, but Charles could tell it was more than that- he’d always been able to feel Erik’s anger even when Erik had tried not to show it.

“What’s it to you, bub?” Logan huffed, sliding one hand along Charles’ arm before wrapping it around the back of Charles’ neck in a slightly possessive gesture. Erik watched the movement with steely eyes, jaw clenching tensely.

“He’s drunk- can’t you see that?” Erik uttered through gritted teeth. “You can’t take advantage of him when he’s in this state”.

“Hey!” Charles interjected, glaring at Erik. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here- I can make my own decisions, Erik- I don’t need you to protect me”.

“Really?” Erik replied bitterly. “Because I’ve been watching you for some time now and you don’t seem to be handling yourself all that well”.

Immediately Charles flushed, thinking of when he’d called Logan ‘Erik’ moments earlier and wondering if Erik had witnessed that too.

“What I do or don’t do is no business of yours”, Charles muttered.

“Maybe not, but what do you think your sister would make of the way you’re behaving?”

Erik’s words instantly made Charles bristle with annoyance, and he was sure that Erik knew that saying such a thing would make him irate.

“Erik, I will fuck whomever I want!” Charles yelled, seizing a fistful of Logan’s shirt and tugging Logan towards him. Logan responded in kind, wrapping his arm fully around Charles’ back and shooting Erik a smug glance, before starting to steer Charles away. He only took about two steps though before he came to an abrupt halt, and Charles whirled to look at Erik.

Erik was watching them both, mouth set and determined, one hand outstretched in front of him. Immediately Charles knew what Erik was doing- that he was using his ability to keep hold of the metal in Logan’s body, rendering him immobile.

“Erik, what the bloody hell?? Let him go!” Charles hissed.

Erik shook his head. “Go to bed, Charles”.

“Make me”, Charles uttered, glaring at Erik. As soon as Charles had said the words he realised it was probably a mistake to goad Erik, as evidenced by the way Erik quirked his brow in interest and the corners of his mouth drew up in a slight smile.

“No--” Charles started, but Erik was already crossing the space towards him- reaching down to slide his arms around Charles’ legs and heaving Charles over his shoulders, before briskly starting to walk down the corridor.

Charles squirmed in Erik’s grasp, beating weakly at Erik’s back as he was carried away. Meanwhile Logan still hadn’t moved- presumably he wasn’t able to- so there really was no one to help Charles as he was taken…


	6. Chapter 6

 

 

During the year Charles spent with Erik, the dynamic between the two of them had come in two forms. In terms of outward appearances Erik was the boss; he was in a very real sense at work, and he appeared to be when it came to his relationship with Charles, particularly in the bedroom… In reality though it wasn’t quite that simple- although Charles would willingly submit and give himself to Erik in all senses of the word, it was Charles who wore the trousers- so to speak- and who wielded the highest level of control out of the two of them.

But although Erik would usually listen to Charles and respect his wishes the majority of the time, he wasn’t always perfect, and on many occasions Charles had struggled against Erik’s assertiveness and determination to get what he wanted.

Since they had broken up Charles had assumed such days were behind him, but then he had found himself draped over Erik’s shoulder, held powerless in Erik’s grasp as he was carried away towards his room.

When Erik reached the door to Charles’ room he used his powers to unlock it; carrying Charles inside and over to the bed before dumping him down onto the mattress. Charles let out a huff of annoyance as he sprawled back on the bed, propping himself up on his elbows and glaring hard at Erik. Erik was stood at the end of the bed watching him- fists clenched, mouth set tight, eyes determined and steely- and Charles was embarrassed to realise that the situation was quickly making him feel aroused, and that he was more turned-on by Erik just standing over him that he had been by Logan kissing him moments earlier.

“What do you want, Erik?” Charles muttered, crossing his legs slightly in an attempt to hide his rapidly hardening cock.

“I don’t want anything, I’m just trying to stop you from making a fool of yourself”.

“That’s not your place, Erik. You can’t just come along and carry me off to bed like this- I don’t belong to you. I’m not your boyfriend anymore”.

“I know…” Erik replied. A flicker of sadness passed over Erik’s face as he unclenched his fists, and Charles felt his telepathy reaching out beyond his drunken control- skirting around the edge of Erik’s mind. It felt warm, it felt like home, and Charles was desperate to just fall into Erik’s consciousness completely, but he knew it wasn’t his place anymore.

Charles and Erik continued to stare at each other for a long moment, before eventually Erik let out a long sigh.

“Look, you can do what you want- like you said, you don’t belong to me. I just… I just want you to be careful. I know that guy who was feeling you up- he used to work for me once. He’s nothing but trouble”.

Charles gave out a bitter laugh. “Coming from you, that’s hilarious…”

“Charles, I’m serious about this…”

“No, you’re jealous”.

“I am not--” Erik started before he abruptly trailed off, looking away and clenching his jaw. Charles knew he was right, and the realisation was satisfying, but still somehow bitter.

“Why are you here?” Charles asked eventually. “Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend rather than bothering me?”

That made Erik’s expression twist into a smug smile. “Well, I guess I’m not the only one who’s jealous, am I Charles?”

“Whatever I am, I would never dream of doing this to you”, Charles said, gesturing between them in reference to the situation they found themselves in.

“Well maybe that’s because you lack the balls to actually fight for what you want…”

“Just because I’m not an aggressive prick it doesn’t mean I’m afraid of anything. There’s nothing for me to fight for- I don’t want anything, especially not you”.

“Bullshit, Charles- you need me”.

“Yeah, like a bad habit…”

When Erik became angry it was like a switch flipping. Charles usually sensed it even before Erik reacted, and this occasion was no different. It was more frustration than rage this time, but it built under the surface of Erik’s thoughts and caused him to move quickly- reaching down to grasp Charles’ ankles and pulling him harshly down the bed.

Charles let out a yelp as it happened, immediately using his hands to push at Erik’s torso before Erik slid his fingers in-between Charles’ and pushed his hands down against the mattress; climbing onto the bed on his knees at the same time. Charles squirmed uncomfortably in Erik’s grasp, being painfully aware of the way Erik had laid him out and how it made Charles’ state of arousal all too obvious. Erik’s gaze trailed down Charles’ body, honing in on the evident bulge in Charles’ trousers, and when he looked back up at Charles’ face he was smiling, and Charles immediately closed his eyes in embarrassment.

“Tell me again how you don’t want me, Charles…” Erik murmured.

In the next breath Erik lowered his hips and pressed his crotch against Charles’ own, causing Charles to let out an involuntary groan as Erik began to slowly rub against his hard cock. Charles bit his lip in an attempt to disguise his moans but he knew that the expression on his face probably displayed his desire; that and the way his skin was hot and he was trembling. Erik was hard now too- the stiffness of his thick cock rubbing against Charles’ own providing a very familiar kind of friction that Charles had come to adore, but one that he knew he didn’t want right now.

This was almost everything that Charles wanted but it came with a very real twinge of sadness because it wasn’t attainable- not really. Erik had a girlfriend, and even if Charles allowed them to come together just this one night he knew it wouldn’t last, and that it would never change the reasons why himself and Erik were no longer a couple.

Charles felt Erik’s face draw closer- his breath warm against Charles’ mouth- and Charles knew he needed to stop the situation before it progressed any further.

“Oxford…” Charles murmured.

Erik grew very still for a moment before he withdrew- lifting his lower body off of Charles and unpinning his hands, but still remaining knelt over Charles with his hands resting on the mattress either side of Charles’ torso.

When Charles opened his eyes Erik was staring down at him, a mixture of longing and concern and confusion on his face. Although Charles and Erik had established a safe word at an early stage of their relationship Charles had never actually used it before, and clearly the decision to say it now communicated a great deal to Erik.

“You…” Erik started, but there was no end to the sentence and Charles was grateful for it because he didn’t know what to say either.

Erik climbed off the bed, only giving Charles one last glance before he turned away and walked over towards the door that he opened with his powers- stepping through it and shutting it firmly behind him.

Charles watched him go, still remaining splayed out on the mattress, wanting desperately to run after Erik and to drag him back onto the bed but not allowing himself to succumb to the desire. It would be a bad idea anyway- from the minute Erik had left Charles had quickly found a secondary emotion rising faster than desire, and part of him felt like seeing Erik again would only make him burst into tears, and that wasn’t something he wanted Erik to see.

Eventually Charles crawled back up the bed, pressing his face into the pillow and trying to fight off a wave of despondent emotion. It was so typical of Erik to do this. Erik had always said that Charles was bad at communicating, but Charles felt like Erik was just as guilty of being emotionally withdrawn- particularly given the way he would often focus on sex rather than any other kind of intimacy, sometimes making Charles feel little more than used…

 

****

 

During the months in which Charles had worked for Lehnsherr Corp. he had spent the majority of his time in the building’s labs, conducting experiments and gathering research- assisting the company as they worked to develop various serums to benefit mutantkind. Charles enjoyed his job immensely, but he was still thrilled when the nature of his role began to change and he was able to work more closely with the mutants at Lehnsherr Corp.

There were a number of young recruits who attended training seminars at the company offices, and given that Charles had qualified as a genetics professor it was no surprise when Erik decided that Charles was the perfect person to help guide the students and assist them with developing their powers.

It was extremely pleasing for Charles that Erik had evidently recognised what an asset Charles could be to the company, at least it was to begin with- until Charles began to have doubts about exactly why Erik had chosen to work with him more closely…

 

Charles had been excited when he’d woken up that morning- knowing that later on in the day he would have the opportunity to speak to several of the company’s board members about the progress he’d been making with the recruits. By the time the meeting started Charles was buzzing with enthusiasm, but he remained professional as he began to address the room- speaking effortlessly and clearly as he stood at the head of the room and went through his findings. Things were going great- the board members were all listening attentively and responding earnestly, but there was one person in particular who appeared to be more than a little distracted…

_“That suit looks great on you…”_

Charles glanced in Erik’s direction, finding Erik watching him with a seductive smile on his face, waiting for a response to the thought that he’d pushed at Charles.

_“Not now, Erik…”_ Charles sent back. _“I’m trying to concentrate”._

_“Oh, so am I- but it’s almost impossible to focus when your ass looks so fine in those grey trousers. It’s nice to see you like this- so commanding and professional. If only the people in this room knew what you’re really like, and how different you look when you’re under me…”_

Charles sucked in a breath, pausing his speech and smiling politely at the room before continuing to speak, whilst at the same time resuming his mental conversation with Erik.

_“Erik, I’m serious- behave”._

_“Mmm, Charles- your mental voice is so strong and bossy, you’re making me hard…”_

Charles glanced over at Erik, watching as he moved a hand under the desk and slid it along his thigh. Charles couldn’t see exactly what Erik was doing, but he gathered from Erik’s mental energy that he was slowly drawing one hand over his trousers along the length of his hard cock. It was _extremely_ fucking distracting, and Charles let out a shaky sound- quickly reaching for a glass of water in order to buy himself some time.

_“Erik, for pity’s sake, I don’t know what you’re thinking but--”_

_“I can show you, if you’d like…”_

Charles was just about to use his telepathy to tell Erik that he wasn’t interested in knowing, but in the next second Erik made the thought available to Charles anyway and Charles almost choked on his water in response. It was the image of Charles and Erik in the boardroom- with Erik still sitting in his chair but with Charles on his knees in front of him, sucking eagerly on Erik’s cock.

It was a visual that hadn’t been difficult for Erik to conjure up. Prior to Erik, Charles had never performed oral sex on a man before, but after a few weeks of knowing Erik he’d found himself comfortable enough to want to do it. Erik had been driving Charles back from a work function they’d attended when it was first mentioned, and the idea was apparently so exciting to Erik that he’d almost crashed his car in response.

Later that night Erik had lain back on his bed, watching attentively as Charles lay down on his stomach between Erik’s legs as he sucked on Erik’s cock. Charles had used his telepathy to connect with Erik during the act, as he often did when they were together, and he knew how much Erik appreciated it- how much it turned him on to know what he was the only man who’d ever been in Charles’ mouth. Charles had been pleased to discover that he liked doing it, that Erik was more than happy with the technique, and consequently Charles had continued to hone his craft over many subsequent encounters. Of course, he knew that Erik relished such acts immensely, he just hadn’t realised that his enjoyment was such that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else…

Charles made it through the rest of the meeting- barely- but after it had ended he immediately excused himself and returned to the labs, only remaining there for a short duration before he realised he was unlikely to be able to concentrate on work, and leaving for the day.

 

Later that evening Charles ignored two phone calls and several texts from Erik, and he was seriously considering throwing his phone out of the window. Instead he put it on silent and readied himself for bed- taking a long bath before dressing in his pyjamas. Raven was out with Azazel for the night which afforded Charles some privacy, and he made the most of it by making himself a cup of tea and lying back against the sofa in his living room with a book in his hands. He’d just started to get engrossed in what he was reading when there was a knock at the door, drawing Charles back to reality.

At first Charles assumed that maybe it was Raven coming home and that she’d lost her keys or something, but as he approached the door he realised very quickly who it actually was.

Charles let out a long sigh before opening the door, taking in the sight of Erik standing in front of him and fixing him with an unimpressed glare. There was rain streaming down outside, and Erik was barely sheltered by the overhang of the porchway.

“Hello, Charles. Can I come in?”

“Erik, I’ve been ignoring your calls all evening- what part of that suggested to you that it would be a good idea to come over to my house?”

“Um… The part where I was worried about you and I wanted to make sure you were okay”.

“I’m fine. Goodbye”. At that Charles attempted to close the door, but he was prevented by Erik stepping forward and wedging one foot in the doorway.

“Wait, Charles- come on, I just want to talk to you”, Erik implored.

Charles huffed out an unimpressed noise, opening the door once more and glaring defiantly up at Erik.

“Well, what about what I want, Erik? Clearly you don’t care about that- you’re only interested in your own desires”.

“Charles that’s not true…” Erik started, before glancing around himself at the rain that had significantly increased in intensity. “Can I just come in and talk to you?”

“No, you can’t. I don’t want Raven to see you”.

“She’s not here, Charles- she’s out with Azazel, and I told him in no uncertain terms that he was to keep Raven busy for the entire night”.

“Erik, what if he--” Charles started, but Erik put up a hand to halt his words.

“Relax, Charles- Azazel doesn’t know about us, he just knows to do what I tell him to”.

Charles stared at Erik for a long moment, before eventually he sighed and pulled the door open a bit wider.

“Fine…” Charles huffed, before turning away from Erik and wandering back into the living room.

Charles heard the sound of the door closing and Erik removing his coat before he followed after Charles; stepping uncertainly into the room and moving over towards where Charles was sat on the sofa with his knees drawn up to his chest. Erik stared down at Charles for a long moment until he lowered himself onto the seat next to him- body turned towards Charles as he continued to watch him carefully, whilst Charles avoided his eyes.

“You’re mad at me…” Erik said softly, and Charles gave out a bitter laugh.

“Very perceptive, Erik. Care to take a guess as to why?”

“I presume this is about the meeting earlier…” Charles didn’t respond, so Erik added: “You’ve never had a problem with me sending thoughts to you before, or sharing images and fantasies with you…”

“That’s different, Erik”, Charles replied, looking at Erik in exasperation. “We were at work. I thought you wanted me to be more involved in the company because you respected me and what I could do, not because you wanted to objectify me…”

“I do respect you, Charles…” Erik insisted, edging closer on the sofa towards Charles.

Charles shook his head. “No, Erik- you’re not taking me seriously. I was going through important business and you were thinking about me sucking you off rather than listening to me. I almost made a complete hash of that presentation because of you”.

“But you didn’t, Charles. The meeting went brilliantly- all of the board members told me afterwards how impressed they were. You were perfect, and I’m so proud of you…”

Charles looked away, trying to maintain his annoyance but finding his resolve crumbling slightly with each sincere word from Erik. Erik took the opportunity to move closer, sliding both hands around Charles’ bended legs and starting to rub Charles’ thighs.

“Come on- I didn’t mean to upset you”, Erik said softly. “You’re amazing at your job and I’m so happy you’re working for me. I promise I won’t do anything like that again, okay?” Charles was still staring off to the side and avoiding Erik’s eyes, so Erik continued: “Liebling, please... You mean more to me than you know. This is not just some meaningless fuck to me, and I’m not having you work for me just because I think you’re ridiculously cute. I really like you, and as a matter of fact I’d like for us to be… official…”

Charles finally glanced back over to Erik, finding that Erik was now the one being avoidant. He continued to hold Charles’ legs but he was staring down rather than meeting Charles’ eyes, and Charles began to smile slightly at the sight of Erik being so shy.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Charles said, and Erik huffed out a breath and shifted uncomfortably.

“Charles, don’t make me beg…”

“Would you?”

Erik let out a low sigh, before eventually he looked back up to meet Charles’ eyes.

“Charles… Will you be my boyfriend?”

Charles began to smile widely, which made Erik slip into an equally amused expression.

“Is that a yes?” Erik asked hopefully.

“You’re being serious?”

“Yes… You don’t believe me?”

Charles shrugged. “You can’t deny that a great deal of the time we’ve spent together has involved sex in some way, I just wasn’t sure if there was more to it”.

“Hmm… Okay well in that case, how about I prove to you that I’m serious. Let’s try this- no sex for an entire week”.

“What?” Charles laughed, looking at Erik incredulously.

“If you don’t believe that I’m interested in you for more than just sex then I’ll prove it. I’ll abstain from making any sort of advances towards you for a week. Will that convince you that I’m being sincere?”

“Erik, that’s not entirely necessary…”

Erik shook his head. “Well, it’s happening, Charles. One week, no sex”.

Charles opened his mouth to protest further but he could tell that Erik’s mind was made up, so instead he nodded briefly and Erik smiled in recognition.

“ _Wunderbar_ ”, Erik replied. He wrapped his arms around Charles, pulling Charles close and pressing a quick kiss to Charles’ cheek. Charles allowed Erik to hold him, leaning into the warmth of Erik’s body and resting his head against Erik’s chest, wondering how long Erik would be able to maintain his resolve…

 

As it turned out, Erik was true to his word. Perhaps Charles should have guessed that would be the case- Erik was very stubborn when he wanted to be, and he was known to be resilient when it came to achieving his goals.

During the week that followed Charles and Erik saw each other most nights. Thanks to Erik’s influence Azazel kept Raven very busy, which meant that Charles was free to spent time at Erik’s without worrying that Raven might ask questions. Although each evening ended up with Charles and Erik in bed together there was never any intimate interaction other than some rather intense making out, and Charles gradually began to find himself tiring of the arrangement…

Part of Charles felt like he was conditioned to become aroused in Erik’s presence; the mere sight and scent of him was enough to make Charles excited, and the fact that he knew any eroticism was essentially forbidden only make him want it more. He never confessed any of this to Erik though, he simply kept his mouth shut and his legs closed, and tried to enjoy just spending time with Erik.

One evening Charles lay between Erik’s legs with his head resting against Erik’s chest, slowly drifting in and out of consciousness as he was soothed by the feeling of Erik running fingers through his hair. They were on the bed in Erik’s apartment, dressed for bed but not yet sleeping- Erik was watching something on television at the time whilst Charles lay in his arms. Erik’s touch was relaxing, and Charles lingered in semi-consciousness for a while, thinking about Erik and the other things his hands could do, until the point when Charles returned to his full awareness and realised that, not only was his cock now standing to attention, but that he’d also been rubbing himself against Erik slightly.

Part of Charles hoped that Erik wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss, but then Charles felt the vibrations of Erik’s laughter running through him and his skin flushed in realisation.

“Are you finding our agreement difficult, Charles?”

“No…” Charles mumbled, turning his face further into Erik’s chest. “It’s my cock that’s the problem- it doesn’t listen to what I tell it to do”.

“That’s funny, I find it listens to me quite well…”

Charles started to laugh, before lifting his head to find Erik smiling at him fondly.

“Charles, you know we can stop this any time you want… I would hope by now that you’ve realised how I feel about you”.

“I’ve realised that you’re a very determined man…”

Erik sighed quietly, before he reached down to slide his hands under Charles’ arms and used the grip to pull Charles further up on his body, until they were face to face.

“You want to know why I’m with you?” Erik asked. “It’s not just sex, Charles- it’s you. You’re probably the smartest person I’ve ever met in my life. You’re kind to everyone you know, whether they deserve it or not. You’re fiercely protective of the things that you care about- like your sister. You’re an amazing teacher and I’m in awe of the way you help people live up to their full potential. Yes, you’re sexy as hell and you look incredibly cute even when you’re dressing like you’re ninety years old, but the physical stuff is really just secondary. Your eyes are extraordinary and you have the softest lips ever and I could spend hours just tracing my tongue across the freckles on your chest, but what really makes you irresistible is you- just you; everything that you are”.

There was a chasm of silence in the moments after Erik had finished speaking, time in which Charles found himself rendered speechless by Erik’s declaration. It was more than Charles had expected, and the confession was made all the more moving by the fact that Charles’ telepathy enabled him to experience everything Erik was saying; the true depth of his feelings. Normally Charles worked very hard to ensure his defences were up at all times and that he never encroached on someone’s mind without their permission, but Erik had invited him in openly from the very beginning, and Charles had stopped shielding himself from Erik’s mentality a long time ago.

Erik regarded Charles for a long moment, waiting for some kind of response. There was none, and eventually Erik sighed and flopped his head back against the pillows, closing his eyes and resting his arms behind his head. Charles continued to watch Erik, warmed by his sentiment, before he edged up the bed and dipped his head to press a kiss to Erik’s lips.

“Yes…” Charles mumbled against Erik’s mouth.

“What?” Erik asked, opening his eyes once more and sliding his hands into Charles’ hair.

“What you said- about me being your boyfriend. I’m saying yes”.

“Could you repeat that, Charles? I’m not sure I heard you correctly…”

Charles let out a laugh, shaking his head before he met Erik’s eyes once more.

“Erik, I want to be your boyfriend…”

“Alright, Charles- that’s fine, you don’t have to beg…”

Charles laughed again and shoved at Erik, but Erik only wrapped his arms around Charles more firmly and drew him in for another kiss.

It didn’t take long for the embrace to turn heated. Charles was still hard and he started to rock against Erik as they kissed, making Erik become equally aroused in response. Eventually Erik slid his hands into Charles’ pyjama bottoms, drawing his palms over Charles’ buttocks and grasping firmly.

“This was a stupid idea…” Erik murmured, groaning as Charles began to kiss along his neck.

“Of course it was- it’s your idea”, Charles replied, leaning back to smile at Erik and letting out a slight yelp as Erik gave his ass a quick smack.

 “Shall we agree to set the pledge aside?” Erik asked.

“Erik, we only have one more day to go- you don’t think we can do it?”

“I can, I was just trying to make things easier on you…”

“Oh yeah, sure”, Charles grinned. “Well thank you for thinking of me, but I’m sure I can wait another day to sleep with you”.

“If that’s what you want, Charles…” Erik replied, removing both of his hands from Charles’ arse and holding them up as if in surrender.

 

Less than twenty minutes later Charles’ ankles were resting on Erik’s shoulders as Erik thrust into him.

For the rest of the time during which they knew each other, both claimed the other had given in first.

 

****

 

Charles lay on his bed for a long time after Erik had left, going over all the little complications that made up his life and wondering how best to deal with them. He considered leaving the room- perhaps going to check that Logan was alright and that he wasn’t still frozen in place, but Charles knew he was too embarrassed by what had happened to want to speak to anyone.

 

Sometime later Charles must have fallen asleep, because when he next opened his eyes there was sunlight streaming in through the window and playing across his face. Charles fumbled for his phone which was in his pocket, lifting it up to his face and wincing at the brightness of the screen. Eventually Charles’ eyes adjusted and he noticed that he’d received a text message, which immediately made Charles feel a low buzz of excitement until Charles unlocked the device and realised that the message wasn’t from Erik, like he’d hoped. Instead it was message from Logan- thanking Charles for an interesting evening and letting Charles know that he would be up for an angry threeway should Charles be able to get Erik on board with the idea.

Immediately Charles began to laugh; the release intense and therapeutic. Charles recognised that his life was ridiculous but it was an insanity that he couldn’t seem to stop, though he knew that perhaps giving up alcohol might be a good way to prevent any further bizarre developments…

Eventually Charles overcame his hilarity and managed to drag himself from bed in order to take a shower. Once he was suitably cleaned and dressed Charles headed downstairs for breakfast, not even considering hiding from Erik this time. Although it would be somewhat gratifying to remain in his room for the remainder of the event Charles knew it would never work, and part of him had tired of running away from his responsibilities, and from Erik.

 

When Charles arrived in the main room there were already numerous party guests present, and Charles quickly located Hank sat across the room with Raven and Azazel. He started to step towards them before someone moved into his path.

“Good morning, Chuck. I didn’t necessarily expect to see you here so early- I thought that maybe Erik would still have you strapped to the bed with metal handcuffs”.

Charles smiled in spite of himself, feeling slightly abashed as he looked at Logan.

“Hi, Logan. Look, I’m sorry about last night…”

“Don’t worry about it”, Logan huffed. “It wasn’t your choice to be carried off by that contentious prick, right?”

“No, but I--”

Logan shook his head. “Then forget about it. In spite of the way things ended it was a pretty fun night- certainly not the worst I’ve ever had in my life”.

“Of course…” Logan added, stepping slightly closer to Charles. “If you’d like to make it up to me sometime then I’d be more than happy to let you”.

He flashed Charles a confident grin, which Charles found hard to resist.

“Perhaps…”

“Only perhaps? Does that mean you really did spend the night under Erik?”

“Well, no…”

“So neither of us got laid last night. That seems… unfortunate”.

Logan leaned nearer to Charles, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck and moving so close that his lips brushed against the skin below Charles’ ear as he talked to him.

“If you find yourself in the same situation tonight, Chuck, then please call me”, Logan murmured. “I can promise you a night you’ll never forget”.

At that, Logan withdrew- flashing Charles another grin before he let go and turned away; walking over to the door and stepping through out of sight.

Charles watched him go, before moving over to where his friends were sitting- taking a seat next to Azazel and reaching to pour himself a cup of coffee.

“What was that about?” Raven and Hank both asked, practically in unison.

Charles shook his head. “You don’t want to know…”


	7. Chapter 7

 

 

After his last encounter with Erik, Charles was apprehensive about seeing him again. Indeed, the feeling was nothing new- for the entire time Charles had spent at the hotel he’d feared seeing Erik, talking to him, everything really- but the feelings had intensified over the past day.

It was clear now that there was still something between Charles and Erik- not just history, not just resentment, but very real attraction- Charles had felt it very certainly when Erik had pressed him down into the bed. Of course he’d known before how he felt about Erik, he just hadn’t been sure if Erik was still interested in return. Unfortunately the realisation didn’t necessarily change anything for Charles- there were still obstacles between them that may never be overcome, but Charles at least knew now that the yearning he felt wasn’t just coming from himself.

After that morning’s breakfast Charles was coerced into taking a walk with Raven, Hank, and Azazel around the hotel grounds. It wasn’t really how Charles wanted to spend his morning but he was still obligated to honour his sister’s requests during her ‘wedding spectacular’, and Charles supposed that maybe getting some exercise rather than wasting the day drinking was perhaps a good idea.

Following the first lap of the hotel gardens Raven and Azazel had moved some distance ahead, leaving Hank and Charles trailing close behind as they talked amongst themselves. Charles was trying to concentrate on his conversation with Hank but every so often he would get distracted by Raven and Azazel as he realised that they seemed to be arguing. It wasn’t that unusual- every couple had a tendency to bicker occasionally- but what made Charles surprised was that Azazel appeared to be arguing back. Normally the man was reserved and somewhat passive when it came to Raven- seeming to prefer a quiet life rather than choosing to disagree- but on this occasion he was more animated than Charles was accustomed to seeing.

Charles frowned, debating hurrying forward a few steps to catch up to Raven and Azazel and maybe trying to dispel the tension, but then he got distracted by the sight of someone running along the path near to where they were walking- Erik, evidently out for a morning jog.

“I’ll just be a second…” Charles said to Hank, before sliding his hands into his trouser pockets and hurrying over to where Erik had come to a stop- facing away from Charles and pausing to stretch briefly. Charles wasn’t exactly eager to speak to Erik, but he knew that it would happen eventually and he preferred to get the situation out of the way whilst it was still somewhat under his control.

As Charles approached Erik reached into his pocket for something- eventually withdrawing his phone and answering it. Charles stopped on the path and considered going away and leaving Erik in peace, but then he realised who Erik was speaking to and he began to smile.

“… _Nein_ , mama- I’ve barely had a drink. Yeah well I’m a grown man, you know- I can… Yes… _Ja_ , I know mama. Yes, I’ve been eating fine, and I’ve just been for a run in fact. No… No, well I suppose I could-- _Mein Gott_ , mama... What? No, I’m not swearing at you. Mama I’m not swearing at you! Yes, I know I’m not too old for you to box my ears, I just…”

Erik turned abruptly at the sound of laughter, his eyebrows raising slightly in surprise as he took in the sight of Charles standing there.

“Huh? No, I’m still listening mama, I-- Yeah, alright. _Ja, ich höre dich_ , mama, mm-hmm…”

Erik trailed off, evidently being subjected to some sort of rant the likes of which Charles was only too familiar with. Charles had met Erik’s mother numerous times over the course of their relationship and had found her to be warm and loving- a vast contrast to what Charles’ mother had been like during the time in which she was alive. Edie Lehnsherr had always been good to Charles, and it had amused Charles greatly to see the way Erik visibly brightened in her presence, even though he often tried to pretend her affection was imposing rather than comforting.

“Charles, are you coming??”

Charles turned to see who’d shouted him to regard Raven watching him from some distance away, arms folded across her chest and tapping her foot impatiently. Clearly something was bothering her, and Charles was about to go find out what it was when he was once again distracted by Erik’s conversation.

“Yes, mama- it is... What? Mama, no… I’m sure he doesn’t want to-- I know that, mama, but it’s… Oh for… _Bitte_ , mama, I’m telling you-- _Verdammt_ … What? No, I’m not cursing at you I just don’t think that-- Alright… Alright, mama! I’ll ask him…”

Erik lowered the phone from his ear, looking at Charles rather guiltily.

“Um, Charles… My mother wants to speak with you... You can say no if you want but she, um, well you know what she’s like…”

Erik dropped his gaze, looking a great deal more embarrassed than Charles had seen in a long time, and he couldn’t help but smile affectionately in response. Charles could of course refuse to speak to Erik’s mother- he had no obligation to her considering he was no longer dating her son- but even though his relationship with Erik had ended Charles bore no ill-will to Edie herself, and part of him even missed her.

“It’s okay, Erik- I’ll talk to her”, Charles said, and Erik smiled gratefully.

Erik lifted the phone back to his ear. “Mama, I’ll pass you over to him…”

For the next several minutes Charles found himself engaged in a lengthy conversation with Erik’s mother, reliving practically the entirety of the last year of his life at her request. She shared a few choice stories of her own in return, mainly about Erik and how miserable he’d been since he and Charles had broken up… Charles couldn’t help but smile as he listened to her, even though he couldn’t be sure that she wasn’t exaggerating somewhat, and it was clear from the look on Erik’s face that he was slightly mortified as he realised just what his mother could be disclosing.

“Okay… Okay, Mrs Lehnsherr. Sorry, I mean Edie. Yes, it was lovely to speak to you too. Mm-hmm… Yes, of course I will. Goodbye then. _Tschüss_ ”.

Charles ended the call, smiling to himself before handing the phone back to Erik.

“Your mother would like you to know that she hasn’t moved house in the past month, and that there’s nothing to stop you visiting her every once in a while…”

Erik shook his head, taking the phone from Charles and sliding it back into his pocket.

“Thank you, Charles- you didn’t need to do that…”

“It’s fine, Erik- it was nice to talk to her again”, Charles paused, his smile fading slightly as he added: “She still calls me _‘Sohn’_ …”

Erik regarded Charles for a moment, looking forlorn. “She always told me I was an idiot for letting you go. I was afraid to tell her that we’d broken up at first, and for good reason... She whacked me around the head with a newspaper when I finally told her the truth, before immediately cooking me a ridiculous five course dinner. I stayed on the farm with her for three days before I had to leave, whilst I was still able to fit into my trousers…”

Charles listened to Erik talk, picturing Erik going to his mother’s after the break-up for comfort... It was a mental image that made Charles’ heart ache, particularly as Charles felt Erik’s mind brush against his own in that moment, allowing Charles to draw in a small part of the despair that plagued Erik’s mentality. Whether the feeling just related to the emotions Erik had experienced then or whether he was still suffering through them now, Charles had no idea.

“Um, so I wanted to talk to you… about last night”, Charles started, changing the subject.

“Oh?” Erik replied, eyebrows raising in surprise.

“Yeah, um… I was worried that things might be a bit awkward between us, and that’s not what I want so I just wanted to make the first move, and to suggest that maybe we can just forget it ever happened?”

Erik’s expression slipped into a frown. “Is that really what you want? To just ignore… whatever that was?”

“I think it’s for the best, don’t you, Erik? I mean, it’s not like we can really allow anything like that to happen again, right? You have a girlfriend…”

“Charles, I--”

“You don’t have to explain”, Charles interrupted, holding his hands up in an attempt to stop Erik’s words. “It’s okay. Like I said, let’s just forget about it. Okay, Erik?”

Erik paused for a second, staring at Charles and appearing to be anything but ‘okay’, but he didn’t speak.

Charles turned behind him, seeing that Raven and Azazel had apparently moved on but finding Hank still waiting for him, though he looked like he was trying to pretend that he wasn’t watching.

“I better go…” Charles said, smiling apologetically at Erik.

Erik still didn’t say anything in response, but he gave Charles a barely perceptible nod which Charles took as a sign to leave.

Charles could feel Erik watching him as he turned on the path and wandered over towards Hank, and it took everything Charles had not to glance back at him. He continued to think about Erik as he left though, remembering the first time he had met Erik’s mother and how important that day had ended up being to him…

 

****

 

For the first few months of their relationship Charles and Erik had kept everything between them entirely secret, at Charles’ request. It was easier for Charles to keep things under wraps, as revealing his involvement with Erik would prompt a long-overdue conversation with Raven, during which Charles would have to finally disclose his true sexuality. Of course, after Charles and Erik became ‘official’, so to speak, it seemed like there was no longer a reason to maintain secrecy, and it was finally time for Charles to tell Raven the truth.

Like Charles had expected, Raven didn’t react to the news well. She’d been furious with Charles for lying to her and for keeping things from her. Charles listened to her rant, trying to resist the urge to point out just how many ‘I’ statements she used and declining to remind her that this wasn’t really about her… He’d known even before they’d had the conversation that Raven was likely to react poorly, he just hadn’t imagined that she’d be quite as irate as she was. She at least made sure Charles knew that she didn’t have a problem with him being bisexual, rather that she was just annoyed about being deceived.

After their conversation Raven left the town-house she shared with Charles, saying she was going to stay at Azazel’s for a while and she didn’t know when she would return. The news hurt Charles somewhat- his birthday was coming up, and he and Raven had originally had plans to spend the time together. When Raven had first come to live with the Xavier family she hadn’t known with any real certainty when her actual birthday was, so for every following year she had adopted Charles’ birthday as her own too, and they had both celebrated together like they were twins. The idea of facing his first birthday in years without Raven was very upsetting for Charles, but there was nothing he could say to change her mind.

“She hates me…” Charles groaned, resting his head on his arms that were folded on the counter in front of him.

Charles continued to remain face-down with his eyes closed until he felt a hand on his head, stroking through tendrils of hair soothingly.

“She doesn’t hate you…” Erik insisted. “She just needs a bit of time to cool off”.

Charles withdrew his head from the counter, turning to the side to look at Erik. “It’s been three days, Erik. Three bloody days. I know Raven has a tendency to sulk when she’s upset but she doesn’t normally go this long without talking to me”.

Erik smiled sympathetically. “Charles, it will be okay- she’ll come around”.

“You don’t know that…”

Erik sighed, using his powers to spin the stool Charles was sitting on around so that Charles was facing him fully and moving to stand in-between Charles’ legs. He reached down to cup Charles’ face with both hands, tracing the skin below Charles’ ears with his thumbs in soft motions.

“Liebling, it will be okay… I may not have any brothers or sisters myself so I can’t fully understand what your relationship with Raven is like, but I know about family. Raven will get over this. I’m sure she knows how important you are to her, so in time she’ll forget why she was so mad”.

“And besides…” Erik added, starting to grin. “If need be I can pay Azazel to talk to her and convince her to forgive you…”

Charles smiled back in spite of himself. “No, Erik…”

“Okay, well- if you change your mind just let me know”.

At that, Erik leaned forward- pressing his lips to Charles’ in a tender kiss. Charles melted into Erik’s touch, sliding his arms around Erik’s waist and pulling him close.

After a few moments of sincere kisses Erik withdrew, continuing to hold Charles’ face and looking down at him intently.

“Charles, if Raven still isn’t talking to you does that mean you’re free this weekend…?”

“Um, yeah- I guess. We were originally going to go out for dinner or something but I suppose instead I’ll just spend the day at home…”

Erik shook his head. “No, you can’t spend your birthday alone. Come with me to Connecticut”.

Charles frowned. “Erik, no. You’re seeing your mother this weekend- I wouldn’t want to impose”.

“It’s not an imposition, Charles- I want you to come”.

“Erik, I--”

“Liebling, I want you to come with me”.

Charles stared up at Erik for a long moment as he considered the proposition. Erik really did want Charles to go with him- Charles could feel it- and it made Charles so happy to know that Erik wanted him to be involved in his life like that.

“You’re sure your mother won’t mind…?” Charles asked.

Erik slipped into a wide grin. “Charles, I’m sure she’d love to have you”, he replied, before leaning down to capture Charles’ mouth in another kiss.

After flashing Charles another satisfied smile Erik withdrew, stepping away from Charles and moving back over to the stove where he had been cooking dinner for them both.

“Does your mother usually like when you bring boyfriends or girlfriends home?” Charles asked, attempting to sound casual.

Erik remained facing away from Charles as he stirred the pots, but he gave a quick shrug as he responded: “I don’t know- you’re the first”.

Charles was somewhat grateful that Erik couldn’t see his face at that moment in time, as Charles was pretty sure his expression betrayed the depth of emotion he felt within.

 

When the weekend came around it got off to a bad start. Charles was excited about spending time with Erik, but when he’d gone downstairs to leave he’d been surprised to come across Raven returning home. Evidently she’d cooled off- like Erik said she would- and had decided to come spend her birthday with Charles after all, but as soon as she’d seen Charles’ luggage in the hallway she’d immediately become furious again; accusing Charles of being insensitive and not caring about her.

Charles attempted to reason with her, but there was nothing he could do and before long she had stormed out of the house again.

Half an hour later Charles was walking up the steps to Erik’s apartment building; his mood completely soured by his argument with Raven. He’d seriously considered calling Erik and saying that he no longer wanted to come on the trip, but part of him knew that Erik would only talk him round so it seemed futile to even try to resist.

Charles was still moping as the door to Erik’s building opened, but as soon as Charles turned around and saw Erik he couldn’t help but slip into a delighted smile.

Charles was used to seeing Erik smartly-dressed when he was at work, but there was always a sharpness to his look that made him seem slightly unapproachable as well as professional. Now though, Erik’s appearance was markedly different. His hair was neatly combed and he was wearing dark trousers and a short-sleeved shirt that brought out the blueish aspects of his eyes, and Charles almost fell over in shock when he realised that Erik was carrying a cardigan folded over one arm. He looked very much like he was trying to impress, and Charles couldn’t help but be warmed by the efforts Erik had clearly gone to in order to please his mother.

“What is it?” Erik asked, halting under the strength of Charles’ gaze.

“You look beautiful, darling…” Charles replied, smiling widely. Erik shook his head in response but he couldn’t hide the way the corners of his mouth drew up, and Charles only grew more amused as he noticed the flush that had begun to appear in Erik’s cheeks- a sight that was completely new to Charles.

“Come on, let’s go…” Erik urged, pulling his cardigan on.

When they were in the car Erik paused before leaving- turning towards Charles and handing him a small rectangular box.

“What’s this?” Charles murmured, taking the box from Erik’s hands.

“Your birthday present”.

Charles glanced up to find Erik staring over at him in anticipation, appearing softer than Charles had ever seen him before.

“Erik, come on- I told you not to buy me anything…”

“I know, and I listened. I didn’t buy this for you- I made it”.

That information really piqued Charles’ interest. He considered chiding Erik some more but curiosity had taken over so he quickly took off the lid of the box, inhaling an audible breath when he saw what was inside.

The interior of the box was lined with satin and resting against the fabric was a metal bracelet- a silver circlet that gleamed in the light. Charles lifted the item from the box and brought it closer to his face for inspection, realising that the bracelet was engraved. There were dozens of intricate markings all along the outside of the metal bangle which Charles observed were tiny chess pieces, and on top of the bracelet were Charles’ initials- ‘CFX’. Charles rotated the bangle further in his hands, realising that there were another set of initials on the other side- ‘EML’.

“If you don’t like it you don’t have to wear it…”

Charles looked back up to find Erik watching him carefully, and Charles quickly realised that Erik was anxious; uncertain about how his gift had been received and eager to know how Charles was feeling given Charles had shown no outward signs of emotion other than shock.

“I love it”, Charles responded emphatically, abruptly sliding across his seat and climbing into Erik’s lap. He wrapped his arms around Erik and pressed his face into Erik’s neck, and he knew what he really meant was: ‘I love you’.

Charles held onto Erik for a long moment, inhaling the sweetness of Erik’s scent, feeling protected by Erik’s arms and soothed by the sensation of Erik’s fingers in his hair. Erik held Charles and allowed him the time to take what he needed, and although Erik was quiet Charles could feel how much Erik’s heart was racing and he wondered whether Erik was as moved by the moment as he was.

“Happy birthday, Charles”, Erik murmured.

Eventually Charles withdrew his face from Erik’s neck, turning to regard the bracelet that he was still clutching fiercely in his hand.

“Um, Erik, I can’t see any opening in this- how do I get it on?”

“Allow me?”

Charles glanced up, giving Erik a quick nod before he leaned back and held his arm out. Erik lifted one hand up and gestured with his fingers, and Charles watched in amazement as Erik levitated the bracelet with his powers- seamlessly moulding the metal to provide an opening before forming it around Charles’ wrist securely.

“How’s that- not too tight?” Erik asked.

Charles shook his head. “No, it’s perfect… You’re perfect…” he added quietly.

Erik smiled in response, cupping Charles’ face with one hand and drawing a thumb across his jaw affectionately. “Please remind my mother of that fact when you meet her- she might have some opinions to the contrary…”

 

Just under three hours later Charles was leaning forward in his seat, looking out of the window in interest as Erik steered the car up a gravel drive towards a modest looking property. The house was unassuming but homely, and in the background Charles could see various outbuildings that led him to believe that he was on a farm.

“You grew up here?” Charles asked.

Erik gave a brief nod. “Well, I grew up in Germany, but we moved here when I was fourteen so this was my home for a while until I moved to New York. It was nicer being here than in Germany, what with the protests and all…”

Erik trailed off, and Charles knew what he was referring to. Over the years since the existence of mutants had become public knowledge there had been difficulties in getting society to embrace them, and there had even been eruptions of violence in many cases. The level of acceptance towards mutants seemed to vary depending on the country in question, and particularly in regards to which politician was in power at the time… Unfortunately Germany seemed to have an especially hard time respecting its mutant citizens, and there had been some very dark and disturbing incidents in the past that Charles remembered reading about with disgust.

In the time during which Charles had known Erik he’d never really talked about his childhood, but Charles knew that Erik had experienced some hardship during his time in Germany, and that when his family had moved to America it had just been Erik and his mother... When Erik mentioned his father he only did so in the past tense so Charles knew he was deceased, and although Charles wanted to ask Erik about it he could sense the barriers Erik had up around the subject, and he wanted to respect Erik’s privacy.

This was another of those moments when Charles could feel himself reaching out towards Erik both on a human level and with his telepathy, but as his mind drew closer to Erik’s he felt Erik recoil and he knew that his imposition wasn’t welcome this time. Erik had always insisted that Charles was welcome inside his mind, but it seemed like some areas were strictly off-limits.

“Are you ready for this?” Erik asked, reaching to briefly squeeze Charles’ hand. Charles smiled in response, before turning away to climb out of the car.

On the approach towards the front of the house Charles felt Erik’s mother before he saw her. Just the sense of her mind from a distance was kind and warm and comforting, and Charles was excited to meet the person behind such pleasant energy.

When Edie Lehnsherr stepped out of the house she was smaller than Charles had expected, but in the second when she saw Erik she seemed to stand up twice as tall- hurrying down the steps towards them both and waving her arms around in the air. She rushed over whilst uttering various things in German and Yiddish and English, before eventually grabbing hold of Erik and beginning to pull at his clothes and touch his face and smooth his hair. Charles watched the scene with barely-contained amusement, completely charmed by the way Erik pulled faces and protested and tried to pretend his mother was irritating him, when really Charles could tell how much Erik loved her.

“Mama… mama please- not now”, Erik urged, holding both her hands to stop her from fussing at him anymore. “Please, mama- we have company…”

In that moment Edie turned towards Charles and it was like she’d just noticed him for the first time.

“Mrs Lehnsherr, lovely to meet you…” Charles started as he offered his hand, but he was halted by Edie reaching for him and starting to grasp at Charles like she had at Erik seconds earlier.

“Oh Erik, _mein Junge_ \- you never said how _handsome_ he was”, Edie gushed, pressing her palms to Charles’ cheeks. “Look at those eyes- so _h_ _ü_ _bsch_. Why haven’t you brought him to see me before? Are you ashamed of your mother? You know Charles I haven’t seen Erik for almost three weeks now... I bring him into the world and this _Shlemiel_ can’t even be bothered to visit his mother, can you believe it?”

“Ummm…” Charles started, trying to think of an appropriate answer, but he quickly realised that Edie wasn’t expecting one.

Edie continued to talk at Charles and half-heartedly berate her son for some time, and Charles glanced at Erik for help but he was only met with an amused smile in response.

_“I should have thought of this before”_ , Erik sent at Charles. _“With all of the attention focused on you I might have an easy life, for once…”_

For the rest of the day Charles spent time getting to know Erik’s mother. He offered his assistance with cooking lunch and spent hours in the kitchen assisting with preparing various dishes, whilst Erik watched in abject amusement... Of course, Charles couldn’t cook to save his life, and in time Edie decided to give him the rather more menial tasks like peeling potatoes, leaving all the complicated aspects of the meal to herself and Erik.

After lunch Charles and Erik took a walk around the grounds of the property, and Erik regaled Charles with stories of his time living on the farm. It was hard for Charles to picture the smart and composed Erik he knew working on a farm feeding animals and getting dirty, but as Erik spoke Charles felt his mind start to open up in invitation, and Charles could begin to see images of what he was talking about.

Later in the day there was another lengthy meal at dinnertime. Charles tried his best to eat his fill so as not to be rude, and consequently ended up feeling completely stuffed. Erik was clearly having a similar problem, particularly as his mother continued to push food at him- insisting that Erik was far too skinny and that he needed to eat more and “ _Mein Gott_ , Erik what do you even eat when you’re in the city? You need more than whiskey you know, _Schatz_ \- you’re a growing man. Charles- I hope you look after yourself better than this… What do you mean you don’t cook? Well, Erik does- has he been taking good care of you…?”

By the time night drew in Charles was feeling completely exhausted after hours of family interaction, the likes of which he was completely unaccustomed to. Charles was looking forward to a restful night’s sleep, but when he went upstairs with Erik he soon realised that the arrangement for the night was unlikely to be that comfortable. They were in a compact space in the attic that Charles came to realise was Erik’s childhood room, given the décor didn’t appear to have changed at all in over ten years. The ceiling was sloped in many places, and at the far end of the room underneath a window there was a single bed.

Charles glanced at Erik, wondering if Erik expected one of them to sleep on the floor or something similar, but Erik only smiled and took Charles’ hand as he began to lead him over to the bed.

Sometime later Charles was dressed for bed and lying in-between Erik’s legs on the mattress, with his head resting against Erik’s chest and Erik’s arms wrapped around him. They were both looking through the window above them at the stars in the sky beyond; each one brighter than Charles had seen in years considering he spent most of his time in the city. Erik told Charles that he’d wanted a telescope when he was younger so he could learn more about the stars, and Charles had immediately begun to name all the constellations he could see for Erik’s entertainment.

When Charles grew tired he began to doze lightly in Erik’s arms, until he was roused by a low humming sound that he realised he could feel vibrating through Erik’s chest.

“Erik, is that you?” Charles murmured, tilting his head back to look at Erik.

Erik looked like he’d just been pulled back from a daydream. “Oh… Sorry, Charles- just ignore me…” he replied, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Charles’ head.

“What was that song?”

Erik paused, glancing down at Charles for a moment before he replied: “It’s called ‘ _Weißt du, wieviel Sternlein stehen?_ ’ It’s… a lullaby. My father used to sing it to me when I was very young to help me sleep”.

Charles smiled, gazing up at Erik in adoration. “That’s lovely, Erik... Would you sing it to me?”

Erik grew quiet after that, and Charles could feel the soft thrum of his mind- the distant presence of his childhood innocence, noticeable for the first time under his usual composed exterior. But it was like Erik was holding back- like he was afraid of letting go and revealing too much, and Charles knew the feeling all too well.

“Darling, you don’t have to…” Charles added quietly, tracing his fingers against Erik’s arm.

There was a soft sigh from Erik in reply that felt very much like release, before he dipped his head to press a further kiss into Charles’ hair.

“Close your eyes, Liebling…” Erik requested softly.

Charles obeyed without question, like he always did, and for a while there was nothing but the security of Erik’s arms and the warmth of his skin and the hum of his mind. Then, Erik began to sing quietly. The sound took Charles’ breath away- not just because Erik’s voice was beautiful, but because Erik was willing to share such an important part of himself for the first time.

A short while later Charles drifted off to sleep in Erik’s arms, thinking about how it had been the best birthday of his entire life.

 

****

 

Charles still remembered every single word of the lullaby Erik had sang to him, and how it had sounded coming from Erik’s lips. It was a memory he knew he would never forget and one he never wanted to give up in spite of the fact that it made him sad to recall it. Charles thought of it most often at night-time, when he would look up at the stars and wonder if Erik still remembered their names…

 

That night, however, Charles did not think of the stars. He hadn’t seen Erik since their encounter that morning, and in truth Charles was grateful for it. The rest of the day had passed without incident, and after dinner Charles had retired to his room- anticipating a quiet evening alone. He had been interrupted, however, by a series of texts on his phone from Logan.

The messages were simply friendly at first but soon turned flirty and teasing as Charles began to respond in kind, and soon Charles was making arrangements to go to Logan’s room for a ‘quiet drink’. Of course, Charles couldn’t resist having a few warm-up drinks of his own first, though he tried not to wonder why he needed so much liquid courage in order to process the idea of potentially sleeping with Logan… It broke an earlier promise Charles had made to himself to abstain from drinking, but Charles knew that he never would have made it out of his room otherwise, and he told himself that this new plan had to be a better one than just staying in bed moping about Erik.

Sometime later Charles was walking down the hallways of the hotel towards Logan’s room, smartly dressed but not wearing many layers considering he anticipated shedding them soon enough... He’d drank quite a bit before leaving his room so he was unsteady on his feet, and Charles knew the alcohol had done things to his mind too as he could feel how fuzzy his telepathic ability had become.

At the end of the corridor Charles stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to ascend. In time he heard the familiar sound of the elevator arriving and he waited patiently for the doors to open, but to Charles’ surprise there was only a slight creaking sound and they remained firmly closed.

“You look nice…”

Charles turned and felt the room sway as he took in the sight of Erik standing in front of him, leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

“Um, hi… What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?”

Erik chuckled softly. “Not exactly… I felt the metal of your watch pass by my room and I decided to follow you, but I wouldn’t exactly call that ‘stalking’”.

“Would you prefer ‘aggressively creeping’?”

Erik smiled widely, and Charles loathed how enticing the expression was.

“Where are you going, Charles?”

Charles shrugged. “Just off to see a friend…”

“Hmm, yes- I heard your ‘friend’ in the hotel bar, bragging about his plans for the evening… Of course it wasn’t hard to hear him, considering he was making absolutely sure I was listening. It was a bit foolish really… I think he keeps forgetting that I have power over the metal that runs through his entire body…”

Charles paused, narrowing his eyes as he stared at Erik. “Erik, what did you do…?” he murmured.

Erik’s smile turned distinctly smug. “Nothing permanent. But let’s just say your evening has unexpectedly cleared up…”

Charles huffed out a sigh and attempted to roll his eyes, but his head went with the expression and the movement made him sway uneasily, until Erik stepped forward to steady him.

“Careful, Charles… Would I be right in thinking you might have had a few drinks to prepare yourself for tonight?”

Charles shook his head, which turned out to be a monumentally bad decision as it only made him more wobbly. “No… Well, yes- a little. Just some wine, but only one…”

“One glass?”

“One bottle…”

Erik’s amusement was palpable. “Well, it seems such a shame to waste your efforts… Come with me?”

“What??” Charles squeaked, eyes growing wide as he stared up at Erik, and Erik only shifted closer and held onto Charles’ arm more firmly.

“Charles, come to my room- so we can talk…”

“I’m not sure I want to talk to you…”

“Really? Well, what if I offered to finally tell you what you said in that voicemail you left me?”

Charles’ heart flipped at the prospect, equally excited and nervous about potentially hearing whatever it was he’d confessed to Erik during his drunken voicemail some days previously.

“Please, Charles…” Erik urged, tracing his thumb against Charles’ elbow where he held him.

Charles didn’t say anything in response, though there was a slight dip of his head that could have been a nod but could have just been another wobble. Either way, the result was the same- Erik flashed Charles a pleased smile, before he used his hold on Charles’ arm to begin to guide Charles away towards his room…


	8. Chapter 8

 

 

Charles still remembered the first occasion when he’d been in a hotel room with Erik. It had been the first time Erik had met Raven, when they’d been invited to a belated celebration of Raven’s birthday- a lavish party held at a local venue. At the time Charles had doubted whether Erik would even want to attend, but he had accepted and Charles had tried to prepare himself for what would undoubtedly be an awkward meeting.

As it turned out, things went better than expected. There had been an extravagant dinner where admittedly the atmosphere had been somewhat stilted at first, but eventually everyone had begun to loosen up and conversation had started to flow. In some ways, Erik and Raven got on a little _too_ well for Charles’ liking. There were a lot of similarities between the two of them- particularly when it came to the subject of mutant rights- and Charles could only watch and groan as Raven and Erik both drank some and ranted more throughout the evening.

By the time the night had wound down Erik was considerably drunk, which Charles tried to pretend was irritating even though he was secretly delighted by how tactile Erik had become under the influence of alcohol. After Charles had manhandled Erik into bed Erik had pulled Charles down on top of himself, and had begun to tell Charles how his freckles looked very much like stars. Charles had half-heartedly attempted to squirm out Erik’s grasp, before eventually relenting and lying down on the bed next to Erik- remaining compliant as Erik had undressed him and begun to pick names for the constellation of freckles on Charles’ chest that Erik marked out with his tongue.

They had remained in that hotel room for another two days, and it was a joyous memory. Charles could only speculate as to how being in a hotel room with Erik this time might compare…

Charles followed Erik faithfully along the corridor, not really allowing himself to consider the wider implications of what he was doing. When they reached Erik’s room Erik unlocked the door with the use of his powers and pulled Charles inside, before loosening his hold and stepping across the room towards the bed. Charles watched, feeling distinctly nervous, as Erik sat down on the edge of the bed- looking up at Charles and patting the mattress next to himself invitingly.

“Come here, Charles”, Erik beckoned.

Charles remained where he was, until the point when Erik let out a low sigh and reached into his trouser pocket- pulling out his phone and gesturing it at Charles. After swallowing uncomfortably, Charles stepped over to Erik- sitting down next to him and nervously smoothing down his trousers.

“Are you sure you want to hear this?” Erik asked quietly.

In response Charles nodded, and Erik passed Charles the phone.

Charles’ hands were shaking as he dialled the number for voicemail and lifted the phone up to his ear, listening intently as the device began to give out sound…

_‘You have one saved message. First saved message *beep* “Erik… Erik, it’s your… it’s Charles. I’m at the hotel, Erik- you’re not here, and I just wanted to tell you-- good. That’s fineeeee… I’m_ _> unintelligible noise<_ _and it’s good that you’re not here, because I don’t miss you... That’s what I wanted to say- that I don’t think about you AT ALL because_ _> quiet mumbling< __and that’s fine... It’s fine, Erik! Because YOUUUU are… a dick. You’re a dick! Ohmygod your dick… Mm, Erik… I can still remember it… If I could just have your dick back and not you that would be perfect_ _> high-pitched laughter< __I still think about riding your nine inches… Oh god… Oh, this was a bad idea… But it’s fine, because… Because we’re over now, and this means nothing…_ _> indecipherable muttering<_ _God, Erik I… It’s not fai--_ _> soft murmuring< __Erik_ _,_ _I… I hate that I still love you…” *beep* End of message’._

Charles felt himself fall with every word- each sentence spoken like part of his defences crumbling, leaving him vulnerable and open and raw. By the time it got to the last line Charles was feeling completely compromised, and when he heard what he’d disclosed in those final few seconds he lost his grip on the phone and it clattered to the floor with a _thunk_.

There was a long pause, time in which Charles closed his eyes and tried more frantically than ever to sort through his scattered recollection- feeling pained to have lost control over his own memories when his mutation was supposed to mean he was a master of mentality.

“Did you really mean what you said?” Erik asked softly.

Charles took in a deep breath- opening his eyes and tentatively looking to the side to find Erik watching him, as he always did.

“Alright, I’ll admit it- I may have spent some time thinking about your nine inches…”

Erik smiled wryly, shaking his head. “Charles, you know that’s not what I meant…”

Charles looked away once more, staring down at the ground and trying to level his breathing, focusing only on his hands that he was twisting in his lap. He could still feel Erik watching him, and in the next second Erik reached over- sliding one hand into Charles’ lap and entwining his fingers with Charles’; the feeling of his firm grasp making Charles’ mouth part slightly.

“Charles, I’ve missed you…”

The words, meant to comfort, instilled annoyance. Charles whirled to face Erik, yanking his hand roughly from Erik’s grasp which clearly Erik wasn’t expecting as he visibly flinched.

“Where was this a year ago?” Charles demanded. “I don’t hear a word from you for this entire time and _now_ you miss me, just when I appear to be moving on? Is this even sentiment or is it just jealousy?”

Erik paused, brows drawing together in consternation.

“What do you mean, Charles? Do you not remember how things ended? You left me. If anyone needed to contact the other then it was you- the control was firmly on your side”.

“What??” Charles exclaimed, fists clenching in stress. “I didn’t leave- you told me to go! You said if I wasn’t going to support you then I should just leave, so I left. But it was _your_ decision, Erik- it always was”.

“No”, Erik replied emphatically, shaking his head. “No, that’s not what happened…”

“Isn’t it? I remember that day, Erik, as if it were carved in stone. I still dream about it. You were angry with me. You basically told me that I needed to fall in line or I couldn’t be with you, but really you expected me to follow behind rather than stand by your side. And you made it very clear that, if I didn’t do what you wanted, then we couldn’t be together”.

Erik sighed, exasperated, and he attempted to reach for Charles’ hand again before Charles moved away.

“Charles, _verdammt!_ Listen to me _…_ I know what I said but it’s not what I meant. Surely you know that?” His gaze flicked to the top of Charles’ head, and Charles understood the implications.

“Erik…” Charles frowned. “I told you before- just because I’m a telepath doesn’t mean you can just assume I always know what you’re thinking and feeling. I shouldn’t have to poke around inside your head for answers. You need to tell me…”

Erik laughed, but the noise was bitter and sounded more like a bark. “Isn’t that a bit hypocritical? I’ve been more open with you than I’ve been with anyone. I let you into my mind willingly- I always have from the day we met. You, however, are like a closed book. You keep your feelings close to your chest, like you’re worried someone might steal them from you and never return them. It’s hard to deal with, Charles… You can’t expect to get if you’re not willing to give a little…”

Charles’ mouth clamped shut as his mind turned over the words in his head. It was something Erik had voiced more than once over the course of their relationship, and it echoed sentences that Charles had heard one too many times before- usually from Raven. Erik was right, of course, but that didn’t mean that Charles wasn’t justified in his behaviour. In all his life Charles had never, truly, felt loved, and such things could easily cause a person to turn in on themselves, and to place walls to defend their heart.

“I told you about my family, Erik…” Charles mumbled. “About how emotionally shut-off we all are. You knew who I was all along, so how can you expect me to change?”

Erik smiled sadly, reaching to slide one hand along the side of Charles’ neck before entwining his fingers in Charles’ hair. “Because you changed me, Charles. And I had thought that whatever I was feeling, I wasn’t in it alone…”

_“You’re not alone…”_ Charles thought, but he didn’t say it. Instead he simply continued to stare at Erik, easing into the feeling of Erik’s fingers in his hair, thinking about how Erik was, sadly, completely correct. It had taken time of course, for Erik to let down his own defences and to let Charles in, but he had trusted quicker than Charles thought he would. Above all, Erik was braver than Charles was, and willing to take a leap of faith where Charles could only stumble blindly…

 

****

 

Erik had always been a very physical person. All of his movements were precise and carefully coordinated, and he spoke more with a subtle crease in his brow or a flick of his fingers than he ever did with speech. As time progressed Charles began to see all of Erik’s signs as like their own secret language, one that Charles desperately hoped to be fluent in even if his tongue sometimes fumbled over the words.

When Erik was happy his touches were soft. He would slide a palm across Charles’ back as they talked at work or trace his fingers against Charles’ palm as they sat together on the sofa at Erik’s apartment or gently place kisses to Charles forehead as Charles settled down under him in bed. In contrast, when Erik was stressed his movements were hard and sharp. He would clench his fists and grit his teeth and use his powers to twist metal- not moulding the alloy, but forcing- and Charles knew Erik’s ability had enough finesse that he didn’t need to do that.

Charles began to see the signs of tension in Erik more and more as their relationship progressed, and at first he thought it was due to outside influences rather than conflict between themselves. Something was going on with the Brotherhood. Charles was not involved in their affairs- it was easier for his conscience not to be- and he never pried for information, but even so he picked up little bits and pieces.

On the one occasion when Charles had assisted Erik with his ‘extra-curricular activities’ they had broken into a house to take something or do something- Charles wasn’t sure- but following the event, during a moment of curiosity, Charles had looked for further detail and had discovered that the property in question belonged to a well-known business owner: Sebastian Shaw. Shaw Industries were for all intents and purposes a rival to Lehnsherr Corp., but Charles sensed it went much further than just conflicting business dealings. Both companies were focused on mutant development but they each went about it in very different ways, and Charles had heard some rather unsavoury rumours about Shaw Industries that caused him concern.

Evidently, whatever was going on caused Erik even further concern. He spent many evenings poring over files and paperwork- jaw clenched with tension as he lingered over photographs that he didn’t allow Charles to see, though he must have known that Charles could find the information should he require it. Often Charles would just point out that Erik was clearly busy and offer to go home, and subsequently it was like Erik was pulled from a troubling dream and he would drop what he was doing and move away from his desk- stepping over to Charles and beginning to guide him towards the bed.

When they arrived in the bedroom to begin with Charles would often still feel the signs of stress in Erik and in his blunt, forced movements, but with gentle caresses and subtle projections Charles would soothe Erik and calm him down, until the troubles abated and it was just the two of them, and the bed.

With other lovers Charles had always found intimacies to be somewhat even in their level of reciprocation, but that wasn’t the case with Erik. Erik had always boned him like he owned him- a possessiveness that might have been stifling were Charles not so hopelessly enamoured. Charles found the arrangement rather freeing. From a young age Charles had felt himself imbued with responsibility- a sense of duty to care for Raven after they were both essentially orphaned; a protectiveness that continued to be present even after Raven had become old enough to look after herself. Submission was a release. When Charles was in Erik’s bed he didn’t have to think about what he _should_ be doing, or what was required of him in a wider sense. All he knew was Erik’s mouth and hands and cock, and those parts could be all that Charles answered to for a short time.

Erik’s bedframe was cast iron. Indeed, almost all of the furniture in Erik’s apartment was made of a similar alloy, which Charles found unsurprising but endearing. Charles considered metal to be a curious material- the way it was cold to the touch but quickly grew warm when pressed against flesh, and it reminded him of Erik, and his temperament.

No matter how many times it had happened before Charles always flinched whenever Erik used his powers to warp the bedframe and wrap a long, cold sliver of metal around each of Charles’ wrists to hold him, but as the alloy warmed against his skin Charles found he could relax.

There was never any danger for Charles- he had his telepathy and he had a safe word- but regardless he recognised the level of trust he placed in Erik by allowing Erik to tie him down, and he knew Erik appreciated it too. Erik would watch Charles’ face intently as he ranged over him- nudging Charles’ legs apart with his knees as he wrapped a large hand around Charles’ cock. It was intoxicating to have Erik so close and not be able to touch him, and Charles could do little more than writhe on the sheets and bite his lip as Erik began to stroke Charles’ cock whilst using his other hand to reach beneath- placing Charles’ legs over his shoulders as he used lubed fingers to work Charles open. Erik would usually take far longer than Charles deemed necessary preparing him- twisting long fingers inside Charles and rubbing Charles’ prostate until Charles was hot and dizzy and desperate for Erik to fuck him, and Erik would always smile in satisfaction as the first breathy gasps of “Please…” began to escape Charles’ lips.

With Charles tied to the bed Erik had complete control, and his favourite thing was to fuck Charles into orgasm- making Charles come without extra touch from little more than the sensation of his cock thrusting inside. Those climaxes were always more intense than those achieved through direct stimulation, leaving Charles shaking and moaning and begging Erik to just stop for a moment so he could recover, but Erik would never comply. He would listen to Charles’ groans of: “Ah! Give me a minute…. Erik, just give me a minute…” before he would smile widely, and reply simply “No” before resuming his rhythm. Charles always knew he could stop Erik if he really wanted to, and that he never did.

When Erik resumed at first the sensation would be so overpowering that Charles would tremble and moan and strain against the metal restraints, but gradually he would ease back into it, until Erik brought him to the next climax and his groans would be come near-grunts and Erik would lean back and watch Charles come before bowing his head to steal a kiss from Charles’ open mouth. Any reprieve that came after was always short-lived, and Charles began to wonder if Erik’s secondary mutation was the power to delay his own orgasm.

Occasionally, very rarely, Erik would acquiesce to Charles’ requests, though only in a manner of speaking. If Charles was feeling particularly overcome he would lie on the bed completely fuckstruck- his protests of “Give me a minute” accompanied by him pressing against Erik’s thighs with his feet in an attempt to push him away, and sometimes Erik would take pity and withdraw his cock. He didn’t go far though. Erik would instead lean over Charles and begin to rub his member against Charles’ own; the slide of skin on skin assisted by remnants of lube and Charles’ already-spent come. But even though it was what Charles had asked for he soon found it wasn’t what he really wanted, and he ached for the feeling of Erik’s cock inside him once more as opposed to the admittedly-delicious friction he was currently experiencing.

“Erik… Fuck me…” Charles murmured on one occasion as he lay beneath Erik, bound and claimed. Charles knew he was an embarrassment- all flushed skin and shaky breaths and arms tied above his head- but he didn’t feel that way with Erik, which perhaps was a clear indicator of how comfortable Charles felt with him, even if he couldn’t put it in words.

Erik paused the frottage, staring down at Charles and just beginning to slip into a wide smile, and it was like the words came out without thought- like they were too much for him and could no longer be contained.

“ _Mein Gott_ , I love you”.

Erik’s words were initially amused in tone, but all levity quickly slipped from his face as he realised what he’d said- particularly as Charles gave little response other than to widen his eyes. The expression barely betrayed the shock Charles was feeling. Erik _loved_ him, and Charles had had no idea.

Charles could feel it then- the purity of Erik’s love washing over him like warm water, and he wondered how he’d missed it before. He had no idea how to deal with the situation- saying ‘thank you’ didn’t seem like enough, and sincerer words would have been more than Charles felt able to give at that moment, regardless of the fact that beneath his chest his heart surged with the sentiment. Instead Charles began to move- riling against the restraints that held him frantically in his desperation to touch Erik, to pull him close, to feel him.

“Erik, off… Take them off… Off!” Charles urged, twisting his wrists somewhat painfully in his eagerness to escape.

Erik leaned away from Charles; sitting back on his folded legs as he reached out with one hand and the metal wrapped around Charles’ wrists shifted and moved back to form part of the bedframe once more. As soon as Charles was free he sat up- reaching for Erik in an attempt to draw him closer- but he realised in an instant that Erik had misunderstood his intentions. Erik was pale- his face was impassive as always but his eyes were full of feeling, and as Charles’ mind brushed up against Erik’s he felt the rejection and hurt Erik was experiencing, until abruptly there was a sensation like walls going up and Charles could feel him anymore.

_“Vergiss es…_ ” Erik muttered, dropping his gaze as he moved to climb off the bed.

“Erik, wait”, Charles implored, reaching for Erik. Erik stopped moving, sitting on the side of the mattress, but he didn’t turn back and Charles didn’t say anything further- he just continued to hold Erik’s arm; fingers gripping tight like he was afraid he might lose something.

Eventually Erik turned back around, looking at Charles expectantly and a little hopefully.

“What, Charles?” Erik asked quietly. “Talk to me _…_ ”

Charles couldn’t speak. He stared at Erik- mouth opening slightly in anticipation of words that never came, and he knew he wanted to say something to soothe Erik but anything that wasn’t ‘I love you too’ would have likely been taken as an affront.

When Charles didn’t respond Erik dropped his gaze; eyes trailing over the freckles on Charles’ chest as he let out a low sigh.

“You should go…” Erik muttered. “You have to be up early tomorrow and I know you sleep better alone”.

Charles finally managed to make a sound but it was only a small squeak as Erik shrugged out of his grasp. Erik’s shoulders were hunched and Charles could _feel_ the tension in him as he stood up off the bed and walked over towards the bathroom- stepping inside and slamming the door behind himself. Charles remained sat on the bed for a long while, feeling desperately sad and wanting to do something to fix the situation but also knowing that, when Erik was upset, the best thing to do was just to give him time to cool off.

 

The following day Charles didn’t see Erik. It was a Monday but Charles wasn’t at work- instead he had an interview at a local university for a teaching position. It was something Charles had been thinking about for a while, as although he enjoyed working for Lehnsherr Corp. he knew he wanted to work with actual people all of the time rather than chemicals and computers, and with Erik’s support he had begun to pursue that interest.

Whilst he waited to go in for the interview Charles checked his phone, hoping that he would have heard from Erik- maybe that Erik would have sent him a text to wish him luck- but there was nothing. The silence continued throughout the rest of the day, and Charles hoped that it wouldn’t take Erik too long to calm down after this particular encounter.

The next morning Charles was due back at work. He spent the first half of the day attempting to get on with his tasks, but by lunchtime he was beyond ill at ease so he ventured upstairs to Erik’s office to see if Erik was amenable to the idea of a lunch date.

When he arrived Erik’s demeanour was stormy. Charles entered the office to find Erik sat behind his desk, staring down at the papers in front of him and clearly trying to pretend like he hadn’t noticed Charles’ arrival when the tension evident in his clenched jaw said that he had.

Charles approached the desk and asked if Erik was free for an hour or so, but Erik simply grunted that he was too busy and he didn’t even look up to meet Charles’ eyes. There were a few other short exchanges, each one making Charles feel tense and frustrated and increasingly like he wanted to yank Erik by the braces across his chest and either kiss him or shake some sense into him, but he maintained composure. Erik, however, didn’t…

It was something small that set Erik off- whether it was a word or a look or just simply an underlying feeling Charles wasn’t sure, but in the next moment Erik was yelling- leaning forward on his desk and glaring at Charles as he forced out harsh words about how Charles was wasting his time and he had work to do and Charles should just go away because this clearly wasn’t what Charles wanted and why were they even together and…

Charles listened to Erik rant, being acutely aware of the volume of Erik’s voice as well as the noise of metal starting to creak all around them, and he considered using his telepathy to put up a barrier around the room to keep their drama hidden. But, as it happened, Erik’s temper levelled as quickly as it had risen, and Erik lapsed back into silence once more- still glaring at Charles from behind his desk.

“Um, we’ll talk again when you’re less angry…” Charles murmured, turning away and walking over to the door.

“Well don’t expect that to be any time fucking soon!” Erik yelled at Charles’ back as he retreated.

 

As it turned out, it took a further two days. Charles had been at home sleeping when suddenly he’d felt a presence that roused him from sleep, and he opened his eyes to find Erik standing at the side of his bed completely naked. Charles let out a small noise of surprise that was barely a question but Erik shushed him as he lifted up the blanket and slid underneath- crawling over Charles on the mattress and pressing his body down as he rested his head against Charles’ chest.

Erik’s weight was slightly crushing, but Charles basked in the feeling. He wrapped his arms around Erik’s back and slid a hand up to cradle Erik’s head, fingers tracing through his hair gently. There was no further movement from Erik and Charles wondered if he had already fallen asleep, but then he let out a low sigh that felt like it came from his heart as well as his mouth.

“How did your interview go?” Erik asked quietly.

“Good… It was good. They, um, offered me a position”.

Erik withdrew his head from Charles’ chest, looking up at him in quiet admiration. “Charles, that’s wonderful. Are you going to take it?”

Charles gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know… It’s a full-time position, Erik, so you know I’d have to leave the company…”

“I know…” Erik replied softly. “But if that’s what you want then I think you should do it”.

“Really?”

“Yes, Liebling… You should do whatever makes you happy”.

“Thank you, darling…” Charles murmured, pushing Erik’s hair back from his forehead.

Erik smiled, but the expression was tinged with sadness. He crawled further up the mattress in order to press a kiss to Charles’ lips that soon turned needy, and Charles hated how much his decision to leave the company felt like he was somehow leaving Erik too.

 

****

 

In the subsequent months of their relationship had Erik told Charles he loved him on a handful of additional occasions- usually when he was inside Charles or when he was sleepy or once when he was angry, and it came in a variety of tones and more languages than Charles realised Erik knew, but Charles never reciprocated. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel it- he did, with every fibre of his being- but he just wasn’t used to expressing himself like that. Charles remembered telling his mother that he loved her when he was a child, because that was how he’d seen people behave around him and on the television and in films. One day he’d realised that his mother never said it back, and Charles had stopped and had never uttered those words since.

Charles didn’t know why the words scared him so, particularly when he’d already allowed himself to be more vulnerable with Erik than he’d ever been with anyone else, but regardless- each time he’d looked into Erik’s eyes and felt a surge of feeling he ached to express he swallowed it down, and made it his secret.

Apparently, though, the words were secret no longer. They were there- immortalised on Erik’s phone for all eternity- and Charles knew that even if he erased them from Erik’s voicemail he would never be able to remove the impression they’d clearly made on Erik’s heart.

Charles stared over at Erik, lulled by the feeling of Erik’s fingers carding through his hair, watching Erik who was projecting a sense of desire so fierce it took Charles’ breath away. Charles could feel the thrum of his own lust and yearning in response but he knew that he couldn’t allow himself to give into it- whatever information had been disclosed it didn’t change anything that had happened between them, and the practical part of Charles realised that it would be foolish to embark on something that would only hurt them both in the end.

Shrugging out of Erik’s grasp, Charles stood up from the bed and began to walk over towards the door, but he was abruptly halted by something tugging on his watch and keeping him in place. Charles turned around as Erik stood up- one of his hands outstretched as he continued to hold Charles’ watch with his powers.

“Not fair…” Charles grumbled as Erik drew close, fixing Erik with a disapproving pout.

“You have your tricks and I have mine…” Erik said with a soft smile, coming to a stop just in front of Charles and reaching to hold Charles’ wrists with his hands as well as his powers. “That was you I just felt, wasn’t it?” he continued. “I could feel your mind- your… _arousal_ ”.

Charles closed his eyes, mentally cursing his decision to get drunk and the effect it was clearly having on his telepathy. When he opened them Erik had somehow moved even closer, and Charles backed away a few paces but Erik only came with him until Charles’ back was pressed up against the wall and Erik moved his hands to cup Charles’ face.

“Erik…” Charles murmured.

“God, I’ve missed hearing my name from your lips…” Erik replied, closing his eyes and leaning in.

Erik was so close Charles could see the flush along the skin of Erik’s neck that he knew was a sign of Erik’s lust- not that Charles needed such clues, considering he could feel Erik’s firm cock in the space between them. It was ridiculous, really- they’d barely touched, they hadn’t even kissed, and yet Erik was improbably hard in his trousers and Charles could feel himself heading the same way, especially as Erik began to gradually rock his hips from side to side- rubbing his erection against Charles’ crotch.

“Erik…” Charles whispered again, sliding his hands to rest chastely on Erik’s waist. Erik opened his eyes at that, smiling at Charles before dropping his gaze subconsciously down to Charles’ lips, and Charles slid his hands under Erik’s jumper- tracing his thumb along the line of Erik’s stomach just above his trousers and feeling a shiver of pleasure run through him as Erik groaned in response.

“Charles…” Erik murmured, before he pressed his lips to Charles’ mouth and Charles felt like his legs would give out if Erik wasn’t holding him.

Things progressed pretty quickly after that. There was a flurry of hands and mouths and clothes being pulled and skin being touched, and all Charles could think was how it all felt so familiar and so comforting- like coming home.

By the time they were both naked and Erik was leaning back against the headboard with Charles in his lap, Charles had forgotten about all the reservations he had and reasons why himself and Erik shouldn’t be together. He couldn’t think whilst he was kissing Erik- it wasn’t possible; all that existed was the softness of Erik’s lips and the dexterity of his tongue and the mastery of his hands and… oh, a phone beeping.

Charles withdrew from the kiss; leaning back against Erik’s bended legs which were braced against Charles’ spine and looking away across the room. Apparently Erik recognised Charles’ distraction, as he immediately wrapped his hand around Charles’ cock- holding it against his own and beginning to slide his palm along their lengths. Charles gave out a heady moan as he involuntarily rocked into Erik’s grasp- pressing his hands against Erik’s chest to brace himself.

“Ah! Erik, wait- my phone…”

“You really care about your phone right now?” Erik asked with a quirk of his eyebrow as he began to move his hand more briskly.

Charles stared down at Erik, but he didn’t even have to consider the question to know the answer. Erik looked completely gorgeous- his skin hot and flushed, his hair in complete disarray as a result of Charles running his fingers through it, his eyes desperate and wanton. Charles _wanted_ him so much it was like a real physical ache, and he knew that there could be no distraction so important it would tear him from Erik’s arms that night.

“Forget the phone…” Charles mumbled, leaning forward to kiss Erik once more.

Of course, it wasn’t all that easy to just maintain focus... As things got more heated Erik lubed up his fingers and reached round to push them inside Charles, all the while continuing to maintain his grip on Charles’ cock as Charles began to rock forward in time with Erik’s movements- clenching hard around Erik’s fingers as they brushed against his prostate with meticulous precision. Charles felt like he was open and ready for Erik’s cock and he wanted it but he could still hear that fucking phone beeping and ringing intermittently, and although Charles was trying to concentrate he couldn’t help but wonder who was so determined to contact him.

“Charles, _verdammt_ …” Erik huffed. Charles looked back over to Erik, realising that his distraction must have been evident on his face considering Erik had stopped moving and he was staring at Charles with a hint of annoyance in his expression.

“Do you want to answer that?” Erik added, exasperation just slightly more noticeable than the thick tone of arousal in his voice.

Charles gazed back at Erik, eyes trailing over the line of his mouth and fixating on the scar just above his upper lip, and embracing the memories that came with it.

“No… no, it’s alright- I’m yours…” Charles’ eyes grew wide as he realised what he’d said. “Um, I mean, um… I mean for the night or, erm…” Charles trailed off, before muttering: “Shut up, Charles…” to himself and shaking his head.

Erik regarded Charles fondly, lifting a hand to gently trace Charles’ lower lip with his thumb. “ _Ja, du gehörst mir…_ ” Erik replied softly, before a sly smile began to spread over his face.

Charles barely had time to wonder what the expression meant before Erik abruptly opened his legs, and Charles lost the support against his spine as he fell backwards onto the mattress with a surprised shout. Erik followed the movement- leaning over Charles and grinning wickedly, and Charles’ phone made a last desperate attempt for attention before its tone turned weak and fading and Charles concluded that Erik must have used his powers to hinder it in some way.

Lying on the mattress all Charles could see, feel, smell, and taste was Erik, and it was intoxicating. There was little room for any other thoughts as Erik pressed himself against Charles and kissed him devotedly, and Charles was content to wrap his arms around Erik and spread his legs and wait patiently as Erik reached down for his cock and began to angle it into position.

But then… there was a feeling. Charles had felt it maybe once or twice before, and the immediate reaction to it was a revulsion that made bile rise up in his throat. It didn’t sit well with the current situation Charles found himself in- it wasn’t how he normally felt when he was in Erik’s arms- and he knew that he needed to disentangle himself from the current situation, whether he wanted to or not.

“Stop…” Charles groaned, pushing lightly against Erik’s shoulders.

Initially Erik withdrew from Charles and flashed him a slightly confused look and a tentative smile, before he attempted to lean down for a kiss once more, but Charles turned his face away.

“Erik, I mean it- please don’t make me say it…”

That made Erik stop, and he leaned back to rest on his bended legs- allowing Charles the space to sit up as he fixed Erik with a slightly guilty gaze.

“Erik, I--”

“You don’t have to explain”, Erik interrupted, holding up his hands. “You’re perfectly entitled to change your mind”.

“Wait, Erik- it’s not what--”

“Charles, I told you- it’s fine. Just forget it”.

“No, Erik, I--”

“ _Vergiss es_ , Charles”, Erik uttered more forcefully, and Charles suddenly felt like he was paying some kind of penance- like he was doomed to repeat all of his previous mistakes forever, because he’d never moved past them.

Charles wanted urgently to explain himself to Erik, but he knew that the feeling in his head akin to a siren going off demanded his attention, so he could do little more than offer Erik a mumbled apology as he slid from the bed and began to gather his clothes, trying to ignore the obscene way his cock jutted up in front of him- still hard and desperate to be coaxed.

When Charles had finished pulling on his clothes he turned back around. Erik hadn’t moved from the bed, but he’d shifted into some sort of defensive position with his knees drawn up to his chest, and it was as unusual as it was disturbing. Immediately though Charles was struck with a sudden realisation- that he didn’t have to be doomed, as he saw it, and that he could make changes in his own life. They might be small and they might ultimately not be enough, but surely it would be worth it just to try…

Emboldened by alcohol and a fierce protectiveness for the man he still loved even after a year apart, Charles stepped over to the bed- kneeling on the mattress in front of Erik and sliding his hands to grasp Erik’s knees. Evidently Erik wasn’t expecting the advance, as immediately he tensed and looked up to Charles in surprise.

“Charles, what--”

“Listen to me, Erik- I have to go. I can’t explain what it is right now because I don’t fully understand myself, but please believe me when I say I wouldn’t leave if it wasn’t important. I don’t know what’s going on between us but… but I’d like to find out, okay? We’re not over. Maybe we never were and I… I’ll talk to you in the morning- alright?”

Erik continued to gaze at Charles for a moment, before his expression softened and he wrapped his arms around Charles once more as he pulled Charles back down on top of himself for a kiss. It was a nice response, but it wasn’t what Charles needed right now, and he began to laugh in surprise as he struggled in Erik’s grasp.

“Erik… Erik, darling- please. I need to go…”

Charles allowed Erik to embrace him for a moment before he pushed at Erik more firmly- freeing himself from Erik’s arms and starting to crawl backwards on the bed. It was an almost impossible mission to extract himself from Erik’s arms, particularly as Erik looked so sinfully delicious lying naked on the bed, but Charles managed it- barely.

“ _Bis morgen_ ”, Erik murmured, remaining reclined seductively on the mattress, his hard cock resting against his stomach. Fuck. Charles was barely able to contain himself at the sight, and it took a lot of strength not to just throw himself back on the bed on top of Erik immediately.

“Can’t wait…” Charles replied breathlessly.

Charles turned away from Erik and left the hotel room, closing the door firmly behind before he refocused his energy, and his telepathy. Using his ability Charles focused in on the mind who was calling him- the mind who never wanted Charles’ intrusion in ordinary circumstances, meaning if she was calling out to him now then something was seriously wrong…


	9. Chapter 9

 

 

Charles still remembered how old he was when Raven had first asked him not to look inside her head. It hadn’t been an immediate request- Charles’ first encounter with Raven had involved him venturing into her mind, and to Charles’ surprise she had been generally more delighted than horrified by the experience. During the subsequent years after Raven had come to live at the Xavier mansion she had readily accepted Charles’ incursion, particularly as they were both young and their powers were still developing and sometimes Charles had little control over his telepathy. As time progressed, however, things had changed.

Raven aged differently to ‘normal’ people, but Charles had put her age as approximately in her mid-teens when it happened, given her mood swings… It had started with rebellion- staying out late, drinking, hanging out with the wrong kinds of people. By this point both of Charles’ parents and his stepfather had died and he was essentially raising Raven by himself, until one day he’d suddenly been faced with a sulky teenager rather than the sweet girl he’d come to know. Rather abruptly Charles’ ability was no longer regarded as a gift, and Raven had riled emphatically against Charles’ intrusion in her mind, until Charles had been forced to promise that he would never again use his telepathy on her.

There were maybe two occasions after that when Raven had willingly allowed Charles in, and both times it had been because she’d gotten herself into a tenable situation. So, as soon as Charles had felt the dimly-familiar sensation of Raven reaching out for him with her mind, he’d known that something was gravely wrong.

Charles knocked on the door of Raven and Azazel’s room, not having to wait long until the door wrenched open and Charles was greeted by the sight of Raven looking very blue and very manic.

“The wedding is off!” Raven exclaimed, before bursting into a frantic sob.

Charles stepped forward- wrapping his arms around Raven and shushing her whilst mumbling “It’s alright, love” and thinking _“Oh what the fuck has happened now?”_

 

An hour or so later Raven was somewhat calmer, but only slightly. Charles had made her a cup of tea- as was the correct English response- and had sat next to Raven and held her hand as he tried to decipher the series of events that had caused this catastrophe.

Apparently it had all started earlier that morning, when Raven had been irritated to find Azazel talking to Emma before breakfast- sitting together and looking far too cosy for Raven’s liking. Raven had questioned Azazel and he had protested that nothing was going on, but as the day had progressed the discussion had only grown more tenuous, until it had turned into a full blown argument. It was one of those altercations that became bigger than the issue that had started it, and by the time the evening had drawn in Raven and Azazel had found themselves yelling at each other in their hotel room, until one of them- Raven couldn’t remember which- had suggested that if they couldn’t get along then they should just cancel the wedding.

“Raven, love- I’m sure Azazel didn’t mean whatever he said…” Charles offered, rubbing Raven’s hand between his own soothingly.

Raven shook her head emphatically. “It doesn’t matter if he meant it or not, I’m still not marrying that jackass- not after what he’s done…”

Charles paused, trying to think of a diplomatic way to phrase what he was thinking.

“Raven…” he started. “Are you sure Azazel’s actually done anything wrong? I mean, did he admit to being unfaithful?”

“He doesn’t have to admit it, Charles- I could _see_ the guilt in his face”.

“Really?” Charles asked dryly, thinking of Azazel’s face and how it was almost always completely expressionless.

Raven glared at Charles, wrenching her hand from his grasp angrily.

“You’re supposed to be on my side!” she hissed. “I’m telling you that Azazel has cheated on me, and instead of threatening to beat him up like any normal brother would do you’re doubting me”.

“I’m not doubting you, love, I’m just trying to carefully consider all the options…”

“This isn’t some sort of scientific experiment, Charles- this is my life! And regardless of what the probabilities and the statistics say I know that Azazel and Emma have a history. He admitted that much to me, which means he lied to me by not telling me about it to begin with”.

“Emma and Azazel were… involved?” Charles asked. “Wow, she certainly gets around…” he added, thinking of Erik.

Raven rolled her eyes. “Charles, it’s the 21st century, and a woman sleeping with two men that you know of is hardly scandalous behaviour. Besides, I don’t care about Emma and her part in this, I care about Azazel. He’s the one who’s made promises to me, and if he’s broken them I’ll…”

Raven trailed off, beginning to twist the engagement ring on her finger in a manner that clearly couldn’t be comfortable. Her face fell with the expression, and Charles could only watch in dismay as more tears began to form in Raven’s eyes as she stared down at the ground.

“Raven, it will be okay…” Charles said softly, leaning closer to her. “You and Azazel can talk and work through this, if you want, and if not then, well, it doesn’t matter what happens exactly- I’ll be here for you regardless”

“It’s not that simple…” Raven sobbed. Her shoulders gave a couple of shaky heaves before she looked back up to Charles’ face, and the next few words left Charles speechless.

“Charles… I’m pregnant”.

A flurry of emotions passed through Charles’ mind at that time. Joy at the prospect of being an uncle, scientific fascination at the child being a product of two mutants and what that might mean, worry for Raven and her uncertain situation, and incredulity at the improbable timing of this unexpected news.

“How long have you known?” Charles asked quietly.

“I found out yesterday”, Raven replied, wiping at her eyes. “I was going to tell Azazel this morning and then all of this happened and now…” Raven trailed off, succumbing to a more distraught round of wailing as she spoke the last few words amongst heavy sobs: “I don’t know what to doooooo!”

Charles opened his mouth, attempting answers before he realised he had none.

 

For the next few hours Charles stayed with Raven, making her more tea and listening to her talk and trying to offer brotherly advice, but in reality Charles knew whatever decision Raven made was hers alone and that he would be able to do little more than just support her through it.

It was around five in the morning when Charles, wrung-out and exhausted, returned to his bedroom at last after finally managing to persuade Raven to get some sleep. The wedding was now a day and a half away, and Charles had no idea whether it would actually go ahead or not given that Raven had come to no discernible conclusions. Charles had urged her to just get some sleep and speak to Azazel later, if she wanted, and Raven said that she would try and she promised to let Charles know of any developments.

Charles stripped in his room, remembering when he’d done the same thing with Erik mere hours earlier and feeling a hot, sweet sensation rush over him with the memory. Part of him wanted to go to Erik’s room straight away but it was too early in the morning, and so Charles climbed into bed in his underwear and told himself that he would just get a few hours of sleep to sate him before he went to see Erik, like he’d promised.

 

When Charles awoke he immediately knew he’d overslept. Generally such calamities rarely befell Charles, as even on weekends he would set his alarm on his phone to wake him at a reasonable hour, but then he remembered Erik doing something last night to make the noise of his phone whimper and die, and he realised why he hadn’t heard any alarm.

Charles lifted his watch to his face, regarding the device blearily before coming back to full comprehension with a jolt as he realised it was nearly one in the afternoon.

Immediately Charles bolted upright in bed, thinking of the promise he’d made to see Erik that morning, and paling at the thought of what implications Erik might have derived from his absence. Charles climbed out of bed and stepped over to where he’d hung his jacket, fumbling through the pocket for his phone before he realised that he didn’t want to communicate with Erik through electronic bleeps- he wanted something purer.

Reaching a finger to his temple, Charles searched for Erik in his mind- locating him quickly but not allowing himself to linger long enough to discern what Erik was thinking or feeing or doing. He simply pressed a gentle message into Erik’s mind: _“I’m sorry, I overslept. I’d like to see you… Please come to me?”_ and then he let go.

Charles’ thoughts churned with concerns but he tried to push them from his mind as he stepped over towards the bathroom, deciding that he would have a shower and would not allow himself to think about whether Erik would heed his call. Still, thoughts of Erik plagued him, and Charles tried very hard to avert his conscious thoughts from memories of Erik last night when he’d been naked and beautiful lying on the bed, even if his half-hard cock revelled in the recollection.

By the time half an hour had passed Charles had convinced himself that Erik wasn’t coming. The realisation was painful, but unsurprising, and as Charles finished getting dressed he thought about how he had perhaps been foolish to except Erik to come to him now, when they had each done so much to drive each other away in the past…

 

****

 

When they broke apart it was both gradual and sudden. Charles supposed it was normal for couples to argue from time to time, but as his relationship with Erik progressed the disagreements began to outweigh any other kind of interaction, and the atmosphere when they were together grew fractured and tenuous.

By that point Charles had stopped working at Lehnsherr Corp. and was instead teaching at the local university- a vocation that filled him with joy and pride, but that came with a lot of responsibilities. He still saw Erik most days when they would meet for dinner or would spend the evening at Erik’s apartment or occasionally Charles’ house, but it was undeniable that the time they were able to spend together was waning.

Given his new teaching position Charles had a lot of work to do which unfortunately sometimes extended to his social hours. Charles would have thought that Erik of all people would understand a person’s dedication to their career, but to his surprise Erik was sullen and annoyed, and occasionally he would accuse Charles of neglecting their relationship. It wasn’t Charles’ intention, but he knew he had dozens of students who depended on him so he needed to dedicate some time to preparing lesson plans and grading papers, regardless of Erik’s feelings on the subject.

But deep down Charles knew that himself dedicating the majority of his time to his career was not the only issue in his relationship with Erik. There was still something unspoken lingering in the air between them- the knowledge that Erik had told Charles he loved him, and each chasm of silence that had followed every declaration. Charles knew that, even though Erik never explicitly said anything, he was deeply hurt by Charles’ lack of reciprocation, and though Charles wished he could bring down the walls around his own heart, though he would sometimes press his face into Erik’s back whilst they were sleeping and mouth the words into Erik’s skin like he was trying to bury them beneath the surface, he never told Erik how he felt out loud.

The uncomfortable situation caused by Charles holding back was undeniably difficult, but what made things worse was the fact that there was something else causing tension too- the fact that Erik appeared to be keeping his own secrets…

Whatever was happening with Shaw Industries was coming to a head, and Charles would often hear Erik on the phone- his tone harsh and tense as he debated matters with various members of the Brotherhood. By now Charles was beyond-curious about what Erik was up to, and he’d even started to ask Erik for answers that never came. In the end there was really only one thing to do… Erik had always maintained that he was happy for Charles to use his telepathy to venture inside his mind so, one day, that’s exactly what Charles did.

It didn’t end well. As soon as Charles had realised what Erik was planning he’d confronted Erik about it, and subsequently they had become embroiled in perhaps the worst argument they’d ever had…

 

“Erik, this is… this is WRONG. I won’t let you do this”.

Erik glanced up at Charles from where he was sitting on the sofa in his living room, regarding Charles like he was little more than a minor inconvenience.

“I’m not asking for your permission, Charles- this is nothing to do with you”.

“How can you say that??” Charles demanded, pacing angrily in front of Erik- feeling nervous energy crackle through him that made it hard for him to keep still. “You made me an accomplice in this when you had me help you all those months ago. If I had known you were breaking into Shaw’s house in order to find information that might help you to eliminate him I would never have helped you”.

“I’m aware of that…” Erik replied in a tone that suggested that was the exact reason _why_ Erik hadn’t told him. “Look, Charles- I know that you’re somewhat of a pacifist at heart, but if you’ve read my mind then you know what Shaw’s done, so how on earth can you think that killing him is wrong?”

“Because violence isn’t the answer, Erik, and it will never bring you peace”.

Erik scowled. “The peace isn’t for me Charles, it’s for all those mutants Shaw is holding hostage in his labs. You understand what he’s doing to them, don’t you? How he’s torturing them? Brutalising them? How can you stand by and let that happen?”

“I’m not suggesting we do nothing, just not this. We could call the police…”

Erik huffed out a derisive sound that suggested very clearly that he thought that was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard of.

“The police? Homosapiens and their guns? What good will that do? You know what Shaw’s power is, Charles- you know what damage he can do. This is the only way to stop him”.

“No…” Charles replied emphatically, shaking his head. “No, Erik- we can choose a better path... We can be the better men”.

Erik’s mouth lifted into a slight smile, but the expression was grim.

“We already are, Charles…”

 

The debate continued late into the evening, until Charles and Erik were both exhausted from each trying to get their points across. There had been quiet urges and shouted defiance and forlorn pleading, and in the end Charles had found himself sat on the sofa next to Erik- resigned and sad, like he knew it was the end even before it had been said- like it had actually been coming for some time and this was now just a formality.

“I need to do this, Charles…” Erik said firmly. “And if you aren’t going to support me in this then… then what are we even doing together?”

Charles jerked his head up to regard Erik, finding that Erik wasn’t watching him for once- he was instead staring down at his own hands. During their normal interactions Erik tended to fixate on Charles’ face so much he was practically staring, so the fact that he was being so avoidant now made Charles feel physically sick, because he recognised the implications.

“Erik… Erik, I can’t… You going to _kill_ a man, and I can’t support that- not ever”.

Erik huffed out a breath but other than that there were no physical signs of what he was feeling, but Charles could sense the sorrow bleeding from Erik’s mind washing over him.

“Well, I guess this is it, then…” Erik replied. “I suppose I should have known this wouldn’t be hard for you- you never loved me anyway”.

Erik’s words were like a knife in Charles’ heart, but instead of it twisting and forcing sentiment to leak out the wound only strengthened Charles’ resolve- making Charles feel like the metal blade was now a part of himself- something rigid and cold that he couldn’t remove.

 

****

 

Charles still remembered how it had felt to leave that day- to leave Erik. Even then he hadn’t really assumed it was the end, and in a way it wasn’t considering there was one final interaction with Erik a couple of weeks later, but it was only through looking back that Charles realised how final that encounter was. He wondered if he could have changed it, or if he even wanted to, but he knew that lamenting was pointless- the act of dreamers and fantasists. Charles was practical at heart, and he knew that the only way to alleviate the pain of past mistakes was to learn from them, and to never make them again.

With that realisation in mind, Charles’ thoughts turned once more to Erik- but to the Erik he knew now; the one that was in the hotel somewhere, presumably ignoring Charles. Charles told himself that maybe it was a good thing that Erik hadn’t come to him after all, because although there was undeniable attraction and sentiment between them it didn’t mean anything had changed. And wasn’t that the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results... Perhaps insanity was Charles falling in love with a man so different to himself in the first place, though he knew it was something unavoidable- as certain as the stars.

Charles made himself a cup of tea and turned his attention to his phone, initially thinking that Erik had just turned it off before realising that something more was amiss. Charles fiddled with the device for a while- even banging it against the table in mild frustration- and eventually the phone came back to life and Charles waited for it to turn on so he could contact Raven to find out what was happening.

The screen was just lighting up when Charles felt it, and his heart leapt into his throat even before he heard the knock on the door that confirmed his assumptions.

When Charles opened the door Erik was there, looking handsome as always but tired, and Charles presumed that he hadn’t slept well at all.

“Um… hi”, Charles murmured. “I didn’t think you were coming”.

“Sorry. I was down the hall, talking to Raven…”

Charles’ eyebrows narrowed in consternation. “You were with Raven? Why?”

Erik looked around him, evidently deciding that whatever conversation they were about to have deserved a less public setting.

“Charles, can I come in?”

Charles nodded- opening the door wide and allowing Erik to enter. He tried not to shiver as Erik moved past and Charles drew in the scent of him- clean and slightly musky and unmistakably _Erik_.

“Shall we sit?” Erik asked, and Charles gave a brief dip of his head that Erik took as a sign to lower himself into the chair opposite the one Charles had been residing in- looking over expectantly until Charles sat down also.

There was a long pause, time in which Charles and Erik merely regarded each other in silence, before eventually Charles took a deep breath and decided to make the first move.

“Do you want some tea?”

Erik smirked, before shaking his head. “No, thank you. That’s not why I’m here”.

“Why are you here?”

“Well, Charles- you asked me to come, maybe you could tell me?”

Charles wasn’t quite sure how to justify his reasons. Since his consideration that morning he was back to being unsure when it came to what he believed _should_ happen with Erik, though he knew more than ever what he _wanted_ to happen.

Eventually Erik sighed, before leaning forward in his chair and fixing Charles with an impassive gaze.

“Okay, Charles- how about this? I will tell you something honest- something real- and after I’m finished you will do the same. Alright?”

Charles swallowed hard, his mouth feeling dry as he murmured: “Okay” and Erik gave a curt nod before reclining back in his chair.

“Alright then… Honestly, Charles? I miss you. Seeing you this past week or so has been both amazing and terrible, because it’s reminded me of everything we had that we lost”.

Erik watched Charles for a long moment, like he was trying to assess Charles’ reaction, before he added: “Now you say something honest”, and folded his arms across his chest expectantly.

“I don’t like your girlfriend”.

Erik huffed out a short laugh. “Emma is just a friend…”

“Really? Wait, hang on- so you’re not actually a couple? So why is she here- did you just bring her here to make me jealous?”

“Not exactly. Emma is a good friend, and as soon as I announced I was coming to the wedding she insisted she wanted to come with me to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid, given she was there to see how devastated I was after we broke up… But her being here has also had another benefit- keeping you out of my mind. I was okay with you reading my thoughts when we were together, but it’s different now. I felt like… like you would have an unfair advantage, and I’d hoped that you not being able to just pluck what I’m feeling from my mind might prompt you to be a bit more honest…”

“I’m not very good at being honest…” Charles mumbled. “I’m not very good at relationships in general”.

Erik smiled. “Neither am I, but at least we’re both good at sex”.

Immediately a blush crept over Charles’ cheeks, and as he watched Erik’s mouth part slightly he knew that Erik clearly still enjoyed the expression.

“You still remember that, hmm?” Charles replied, displaying the beginnings of a slight smirk as he began to enjoy himself a little.

“I don’t have to remember- I have it in high definition with surround-sound…”

Charles’ eyes grew wide as he regarded Erik in shock and indignation. “You kept our sex tapes??” he hissed. “I can’t believe you kept our sex tapes!”

“Really?” Erik grinned. “Because it sounds so much like something I would do…”

Charles rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, but he knew he was more flattered than annoyed by the revelation.

“I suppose it’s only fair…” Charles said eventually. “I have almost every single second of our time together preserved in my memory, thanks to my telepathic ability. Thoughts, images, feelings…”

“I wish I could see it”, Erik replied softly. “This documentary of yours sounds much better than mine”.

Charles regarded Erik fondly, toying with an idea. It wasn’t something he’d ever done before and it would no doubt be incredibly private and intimate, but Charles knew that if there was anyone in the world he wanted to share this with it was Erik.

Charles rose from his seat, stepping over to Erik and sitting down in his lap. Erik watched Charles in anticipation, clearly surprised but receptive as he slid his hands to hold Charles’ waist, and he titled his face up like he was expecting a kiss, but that wasn’t what Charles wanted to offer.

“If anything I do makes you feel uncomfortable and you want me to stop you just have to think it, and I’ll know”, Charles explained levelly as he slid his hands up to rest against the sides of Erik’s face- fingers just tracing across his temples. Erik drew in a shaky breath before he nodded, and Charles closed his eyes and opened up his mind.

During their relationship Charles had stepped into Erik’s mind on a number of occasions, but he’d never offered his own thoughts or memories in return so to do so now was an incredible leap of faith. Charles wasn’t even sure what it was he wanted to give to Erik, he just knew that, maybe if he was unable to _tell_ Erik how he felt, then perhaps _showing_ him might be enough.

_“This is how I care for you…”_ Charles thought, before he started to send Erik images of their time together.

Around the second week of their relationship Charles had realised that Erik wasn’t used to affection. He tensed when touched, and Charles suspected that some of the human interaction he’d had during his lifetime hadn’t been kind, and perhaps that was why Erik liked to restrain Charles’ hands during their intimacies. The only person who could touch Erik without reproach was his mother, but that was a different kind of affection that Erik accepted readily because he knew it came without malice. Charles wanted Erik to trust him in that same way, but he knew that it would take time.

When Erik was tired and lying in bed ready to sleep, Charles would lie down on top of him and offer up affection. He would keep his hands placed carefully on the mattress either side of Erik, and he would lean close and press delicate kisses all over Erik’s face- marking him softly and sweetly; each press of the lips an indication of how Charles felt deep in his heart.

_“Do you see it?”_ Charles asked, projecting images of himself trailing his mouth all over Erik’s skin- all parts smooth and scarred; everything he could get.

During their relationship Erik’s words were always carefully considered. In contrast, Charles sometimes felt like he couldn’t control the clumsiness of his own tongue, but around Erik he tried to check his own behaviour, and to learn from Erik’s example. Erik rarely asked for anything- particularly for support- but Charles knew the power of words and he would give them to Erik readily. It was sometimes something as simple as: “You’re amazing”, “I know you can do this”, and “I’m so proud of you”, but Charles knew Erik needed to hear it, and he recognised the way Erik brightened after each affirmation.

_“Do you hear it?”_ Charles questioned, running words through Erik’s mind- every sentimental utterance he’d ever proclaimed.

When Charles realised how he felt about Erik it was like noticing something for the first time that had been there all along. It wasn’t a tipping point from affection into pure love, rather a gradual slide into deep devotion that Charles didn’t realise had occurred until it had already happened. It didn’t change the way Charles spoke or acted because it had always been there, like an inevitable conclusion- like they were bound to fall in love.

_“Do you feel it?”_ Charles wondered, allowing for the first time the shields around himself to fall down, exposing the vulnerability of his heart.

When Charles came back to himself in the room he knew that he was shaking, but what really made him tremble was the fact that Erik was so clearly affected too.

“Erik…” Charles murmured softly, using his thumb to wipe away the dampness that had amassed on Erik’s cheek. There was a sweetness to Erik’s expression- he looked younger than he usually did; a flush of innocence and hopefulness in his face that Charles had rarely seen before.

“ _Das war so wunderschön,_ Liebling _..._ I had no idea...”

“I know…” Charles replied apologetically. “I probably should have done that a year ago; maybe then we’d still be together…”

Erik shook his head. “It’s alright, Charles- I don’t blame you. I know that I made a lot of mistakes in our relationship too, and that there’s things we probably still need to talk about”.

“Mm-hmm”, Charles replied, nodding and pursing his lips. “Still, imagine if it had worked out- I could have saved myself months of sad, rebound sex…”

As soon as the words were out Charles realised his lapse in judgement, and he closed his eyes and cursed until his breath. When he opened them again Erik was watching him carefully, thumbs tracing against Charles’ waist where he held him slightly tighter than he had before.

“How many months…?” Erik asked quietly. Charles pulled a face- still annoyed at himself for his indiscretion- but clearly Erik read something else into the expression as he quickly added: “I know I have no right to ask, I’m just curious…”

“I was exaggerating”, Charles quickly offered, shaking his head. “It was only a few encounters here and there”.

“Men or women?”

“Both…”

Erik lapsed back into silence, reaching up to trace his thumb along Charles’ lower lip. His eyes were fixated on Charles’ mouth, and although Erik didn’t say anything Charles felt like he knew what Erik was wondering.

“No, darling… just you”, Charles replied softly.

Erik seemed satisfied with that response, and he resumed his grip on Charles’ waist as he visibly relaxed.

“So, what now?” Erik asked.

“Um, I don’t know… It depends on what you want”.

Erik smiled. “I want you, Charles- I always have, and I’d really like for us to try again. Do you want that too?”

“I do…”

Erik huffed out a laugh. “Do you think that’s the only time we’ll hear that this weekend?” he asked, and Charles shoved at him.

“Erik! That’s terrible…” Charles protested, squirming in Erik’s lap as Erik grabbed Charles’ hands to stop him.

“Okay, okay- I’m sorry”, Erik replied, though he was still grinning. Charles eventually stopped riling in Erik’s grasp- settling down and allowing Erik to twin their fingers together as he held Charles’ hands.

“Do you think they’ll get married after all?” Charles murmured.

Erik shrugged. “I don’t know, but if we can work through our differences there’s a chance for everyone…”

“True. So, you said you were with Raven this morning?”

“I was… She rang me- she wanted to talk to me about Azazel…”

Charles frowned. “She did?”

“Yes”, Erik nodded. “Charles, you’re aware Raven and I still talk, right? That I’ve seen her on a number of occasions since you and I broke up?”

“Yes, I guessed as much. I just didn’t know what you were friends”.

“You think my affection only extends to your half of the family? I care about you both, Charles”.

Charles smiled, gazing at Erik warmly. He knew that Erik meant what he said, and Charles only hoped that consequently he would understand what Charles was about to do.

“I should go”, Charles said, abruptly climbing off of Erik’s lap. Erik looked displeased by Charles’ movements, but he didn’t try to stop him.

“You’re going to see Raven?” Erik replied, standing up and following Charles over towards the door.

Charles nodded. “I assume you know how upset she is at the moment? She needs my support, and… and you know I have to put her first, right?”

“I know that… But I’ve just come from her room. We talked for hours, and then she fell asleep with her head in my lap. I made her comfortable on the sofa before I left so hopefully she’ll rest for a few hours”.

“You think?” Charles asked, subconsciously backing into the door as Erik moved closer.

“I sincerely hope so, because I’ve been desperate to do something all morning…”

“What?” Charles whispered breathlessly.

Erik moved very close, gazing down at Charles as he slid his hands either side of Charles’ neck.

“This…” Erik murmured, before he dipped his head and captured Charles’ mouth with a kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

 

 

In the year since Charles and Erik had broken up Charles had thought of him often. It was unavoidable really- even though Charles sometimes tried to push such thoughts from his mind Erik was always there, and in his most desperate moments Charles would lie in bed remembering the feeling of Erik’s hands on his body and allowing his mind to linger over images of the two of them together.

Of course, memories could not compare to the real thing, and Charles realised this very clearly as soon as Erik’s hands were touching him once more.

The feeling of kissing Erik left Charles dizzy and breathless and completely compliant as Erik lifted him up and carried him over to the bed- laying Charles down on the mattress and ranging over him as he began to slide his hands over Charles’ chest.

“Fucking plastic buttons…” Erik grumbled, drawing one hand down Charles’ torso.

Charles smiled, looking up at Erik and remembering when Erik had taken him to see his tailor so that Charles’ clothes could be customised with metal buttons. He still had some of the garments in his possession, and though he’d brought some with him to the hotel he hadn’t worn them yet- Charles hadn’t wanted to give Erik any ideas…

“If this is going to be too difficult for you we can stop…” Charles smirked.

Erik met his eyes and responded with his own sly smile. “You don’t get out of it that easily…” he replied, before reaching down and beginning to unbutton Charles’ shirt.

It was slower than their encounter the previous night. On that occasion Charles and Erik had practically ripped each other’s clothes off, but this time progression was slow and languorous and it was like Erik was determined to take his time- to carefully hold and caress Charles as he edged his clothing off. Erik made sure Charles was completely naked before he turned his attention towards his own clothes- removing them hurriedly in comparison and flinging them haphazardly off the bed.

Once they were both naked Charles rolled to the side- fumbling in his chest of drawers for a bottle of lube that he passed to Erik, and lifting his hips on Erik’s instruction as Erik slid a pillow underneath. Charles reclined back against the bed with his ass propped up by the pillow and his legs spread, feeling incredibly exposed and vulnerable but at the same time completely safe.

“Alright?” Erik asked, sliding his hand along the soft skin of Charles’ thigh.

Charles’ eyes trailed over the man between his legs- seeing Erik’s hair in disarray and falling in his face, his mouth soft from kissing, his finely muscled chest moving with each heightened breath, his cock hard and urgent where it rested against his thigh.

“Yes” barely covered how Charles was feeling, but it was all he could manage.

There was a pleased smile from Erik, before he squeezed some lube into his palm and edged closer to Charles- resting one hand protectively on Charles’ stomach as he reached in-between Charles’ legs and used his lubed fingers to press inside Charles’ entrance. Charles groaned in response- lolling his head back against the pillow and feeling his body constrict around Erik’s fingers before he relaxed and accepted their intrusion.

Erik had always enjoyed a slow build-up, and he was meticulous as he took his time to prepare Charles- sliding and scissoring his fingers inside of Charles, before eventually locating Charles’ prostate and beginning to rub thoroughly against the tangle of nerves whilst carefully watching Charles’ face. Charles felt himself unravel in response and he could feel his cock straining in desperation for contact, but as soon as he tried to reach for it Erik grasped Charles’ hand and pressed a kiss to the back of Charles’ knuckles before placing Charles’ hand to one side and continuing his motions.

Charles was sure he was in for a long session, but then Erik’s fingers began to move more rapidly- rubbing precisely against Charles’ prostate and causing Charles to clench his fists in the bedsheets and groan frantically and mutter incoherent approval until the pleasure reached fever-pitch and… Erik withdrew.

Charles almost swore in frustration but he maintained composure as he flashed Erik a disapproving look, and Erik only grinned in response before shifting forward on the mattress and lying down on top of Charles.

Erik’s body was warm and heavy against Charles’ own- a welcome weight that Charles slid his arms around; trailing his fingertips down Erik’s spine as they kissed and smiling to himself when Erik murmured happily in response. Part of Charles was waiting for the moment when Erik would grasp his hands and press them down into the mattress or perhaps bind his wrists like he always had before, but it didn’t happen this time.

Erik’s chest was pressed against Charles’ but his knees were braced until the moment he lowered his hips- causing his cock to slide along the crease of Charles’ thigh and across his hip before coming into contact with Charles’ member and making Charles groan heatedly. Erik nipped at Charles’ lower lip before removing his mouth and leaning back- looking down at Charles and just beginning to slide his cock against Charles’ shaft.

“Ah, Erik... Fuck, don’t _tease_ me…” Charles protested, gazing up at Erik in a manner that he knew was probably completely lust-stupid. Erik smiled before giving his hips another roll that made Charles groan again.

“ _Erikkkkkk…_ ”

“Relax, baby…” Erik murmured, brushing Charles’ hair back from his forehead and dipping down to place a kiss there. “I’m just trying to make this memorable. After all, I have ‘months of sad, rebound sex’ to live up to…”

Charles groaned, closing his eyes. “I knew you weren’t going to let that go…” he muttered, but before Charles could offer any further comment Erik leaned down once more and captured Charles’ mouth with a kiss.

For a little while it seemed like Erik was going to play fair, and Charles opened his legs in preparation as Erik reached down and began to slide his cock against Charles’ ass- circling Charles’ entrance with the head of his member in slow, deliberate movements that made Charles hitch his breath in anticipation. Charles held onto Erik as they kissed, sliding his hands over Erik’s back and running his fingers through Erik’s hair and grabbing a handful of Erik’s firm ass, but although Charles murmured encouragement Erik didn’t take things any further than teasing.

“Erikkkkk, what are you doing?” Charles protested, tilting his head back in exasperation. When he dropped his gaze down again Erik was smiling, and it drove Charles crazy how attractive the expression was.

“I’m making you forget those other boys you’ve been with…” Erik replied with a smirk.

Charles was just about to chastise Erik some more but then he rolled his hips forward- pushing his cock inside Charles until it was half-way buried and making Charles let out a startled moan.

Erik leaned closer, his breath warm on the side of Charles’ face as he whispered in his ear: “Do you want to go back to those other boys or do you want to be mine?”

There was another sudden movement and Erik’s cock slid in completely, and Charles grasped Erik’s shoulders as he groaned Erik’s name.

“Charles… answer me _, mein Geliebter…_ ”

Erik reached up and gripped Charles’ jaw to make Charles look at him, and finally Charles moaned: “Yoursssssss…”

And he was, completely.

 

Sometime later Charles was lying on his side in bed, breathing frantically and slowly coming down from his third rather-intense orgasm... Erik was relentless as usual- still running one large hard over Charles’ cock until Charles grew too sensitive and he had to push at Erik’s arm to get him to stop.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing you like this…” Erik murmured.

Charles glanced at Erik, before he briefly used his powers to view himself through Erik’s eyes and he realised how completely fuckstruck he looked.

“I’d almost forgotten about your inhuman level of stamina…” Charles breathed, feeling slightly delirious at the sight of Erik naked and flushed next to him. Erik smirked slightly and moved forward- lying down next to Charles with his head resting against Charles’ shoulder and one arm wrapped around Charles’ waist.

 

Eventually Charles managed to pull himself from bed, succumbing to a need to get clean that was fulfilled when he and Erik later took a shower together. Of course, being naked and in close proximity to Erik meant that focus wasn’t exclusively maintained, and they actually ended up having to have two showers in order to wash away the pleasure of that afternoon.

It was barely into late afternoon by that point and Charles had only been up for a few hours, but he still found himself feeling sleepy and exerted by the events of the day, so when Erik lay next to him in bed and began to run fingers through Charles’ hair it wasn’t long before Charles drifted off.

Before he gave in to sleep, Charles’ last lingering thoughts were of Erik, and of the final time he’d seen him just over a year ago…

 

****

 

After they had broken up Charles had a hard time accepting his relationship with Erik was really over. Indeed, it felt more like they’d had a particularly vehement argument rather than they were no longer together, and for several days Charles had essentially tried to just carry on as normal, waiting for the moment when Erik would come back to him- like he always did.

Then one day Charles had turned on the television and had been disturbed by some breaking news- that morning’s top story, about the apparent murder of Sebastian Shaw…

Seeing that news broadcast was like a knife to Charles’ gut. Although Erik had been bitterly resolute Charles hadn’t really believed that he would go through with his plan, but there it was in living colour- the proof that Erik’s need for revenge was more important than his love for Charles.

Whatever Erik had done to Shaw he hadn’t been subtle enough, and he was arrested relatively quickly. According to Raven it was unlikely that Erik would go down for the murder as Azazel and the rest of the Brotherhood were working on an alibi or some other scheme, but regardless for now Erik was remanded in custody.

 _“Good”_ , Charles thought. _“That’s where he deserves to be”_ , but in his heart he knew it wasn’t really how he felt.

 

When Charles paid Erik’s bail he never really expected any comeback from it. He didn’t even know why he’d did it, he just didn’t like the idea of Erik stuck in some mutant holding facility with his powers restrained, and he knew that Erik wouldn’t have been able to use the Brotherhood’s funds to secure his release. Once Erik was out Charles assumed that he would spend his new-found freedom working on his legal defence, but instead Charles had been walking over to his bed in his pyjamas one night when he’d heard the door fly open and he’d turned around to find Erik there, watching him.

“Why?” Erik asked.

Charles stared at Erik slightly open-mouthed, taking in Erik’s dishevelled appearance and the bruises on his face and wanting to ask what had happened but at the same time not really wanting to know the answer.

“Why did you post my bail?” Erik demanded, stepping further into the room. He came to a stop just in front of Charles, so close that Charles could feel the heat coming off of Erik’s body and sense the hum of his mind, and Charles was startled to realise that Erik appeared to be angry rather than grateful.

Erik seized hold of the front of Charles’ pyjama top, pulling Charles close and glaring down at him. Immediately Charles grasped hold of Erik’s wrists in response, gazing up at Erik with his mouth slightly parted and feeling completely conflicted and confused by Erik’s reaction.

“I thought we were over…” Erik murmured sadly.

“Wha--” Charles started, but he was halted by Erik forcefully pressing their mouths together.

The kiss was like a punch. Charles felt himself levelled by Erik’s lips, particularly as he didn’t understand what was happening- why Erik had come back to him now and why he was so upset. Regardless, Charles didn’t question it. Though part of Charles wanted to push Erik away his heart ached for him, and it was easier somehow to just give into Erik- like always- and to allow Erik to take him over.

Erik pulled Charles’ clothes off with desperate need- yanking Charles’ top open and sending buttons flying across the room before roughly shoving Charles’ pyjama bottoms down so that Charles was bared before him in mere seconds. Charles reached for Erik’s clothing too but his hands were pushed away, and Erik quickly lifted Charles and carried him over to the bed- dumping Charles down on the mattress before he began to shed his own clothes.

Preparation was brusque and hurried- which was very unlike Erik- and before long Charles was lying under Erik and kissing him and preparing himself for the inevitable force of Erik’s cock making its incursion. Charles’ hands were held against the mattress by Erik’s, at least to begin with, but then Erik let go and withdrew his mouth from Charles’- resting on his forearms and staring down at Charles for a long moment.

Charles could feel it then- what Erik wasn’t saying; the depth of his fractured emotions. His mental state was muddled but coherent, and as Charles began to feel the thoughts leak into his brain there was a horrible tightening sensation in his throat and he felt like he was about to cry.

_“…but it needed to happen, Shaw needed to die for what he did- what he would have done to countless others, but now I’ve lost him and oh god I’ve fucked it up and Charles will never want me now, because I’m a monster and I don’t deserve him and I wish I could just keep him but it’s over, oh god it’s really over and I can’t believe I’ve ruined what we had, but I should have known that he could never love someone like me…”_

Charles slid his hands into Erik’s hair, feeling his throat burn with emotion as he watched Erik in abject despair. He wanted to reassure Erik- to tell him that it was okay and that they weren’t over, but Charles knew that they were, and that their issues likely went further than what Erik had done to Shaw.

And so, Charles kissed Erik. He kissed him and pushed his feelings down and angled his body closer, until Erik got the message and he edged up to slide his cock inside Charles in one smooth thrust. Their faces remained pressed together as they fucked; Charles clinging onto Erik’s hair and moaning into his mouth and wondering if the dampness on his face was from himself or Erik.

When they were finished Erik remained lying on top of Charles, face pressed against Charles’ chest and cock slowly softening inside him and both breathing hard. Erik was holding onto Charles’ wrist tightly, tracing the metal bracelet that Charles was still wearing. Charles continued to run his fingers through Erik’s hair, and for a moment it seemed like they might make it- like if Erik could just remain where he was then they might stay together, and make it work after all. But then there was a noise from downstairs- Raven calling for Charles- and it was like whatever spell that held them together was broken.

Erik didn’t look at Charles as he withdrew from bed, or even as he pulled on his clothes. It wasn’t until he was at the door that he finally turned around- fixing Charles with a heartbroken gaze and muttering: “ _Ich wünschte, ich wäre gut genug für dich…”_ before he left.

 

Sometime later Charles sat alone on his bed, unable to sleep due to the immense sadness he felt- a vice-like feeling around his heart. He ran his fingers over the metal bracelet on his wrist- the one that had made him realise that he loved Erik- and remembered the day when Erik had given it to him. It was a reminder Charles didn’t want, and suddenly Charles felt like the metal was burning his skin. He struggled frantically to get it off- pulling and yanking at the bracelet but only succeeding in scratching up his wrist.

Neither Charles nor Raven were particularly handy around the home, but they still had a toolbox in case of emergencies. Charles located it in the cupboard under the stairs- retrieving a pair of pliers and using them to cut through the bracelet. The metal snapped in the middle of the initials ‘EML’, allowing Charles to slide it from his wrist at last. Afterwards Charles remained sitting on the floor with the bracelet on the ground in front of him. He didn’t realise he was crying until Raven found him there and sat down next to him- wrapping her arms around Charles and holding him as he shook.

 

****

 

When Charles awoke he was alone. The realisation was slightly troubling, until Charles rolled to his side and discovered a note on the pillow next to him, accompanied by what Charles presumed was originally a pen but the metal had been stripped and moulded to form the shape of a small heart. It was sweet, and reminded Charles of the sentiment he knew Erik was capable of, but it was the note that held the most interest for Charles:

_‘Liebling,_

_I know that we have work to do, but I’m willing to try if you are. I’ve made some mistakes but if you’ll have me I want to make it up to you. Meet me for dinner tonight? 8pm, downstairs. Wear something blue._

_-E’_

Charles smiled widely, before he lifted his watch to his face to regard the time. He still had an hour or so before he was due to meet Erik, and he knew what he needed to do until then.

After dressing quickly in black trousers and a blue shirt with metal buttons Charles left his room and walked briskly down the corridor towards Raven and Azazel’s residence- knocking on the door and wondering what or who might greet him. As it turned out, it was Raven. She looked calmer, especially considering that she was no longer blue, but Charles could tell just from her mind’s energy that she was still fraught with worry.

Charles entered the room to speak to Raven, and it wasn’t long before they became embroiled in another lengthy conversation about Raven’s relationship. She and Azazel had now spoken, but their issues weren’t fully resolved and with the big day fast approaching there was still so much to sort through. Raven still hadn’t told Azazel about the pregnancy, which Charles disapproved of, but Raven protested that she just needed a little more time. As it was the eve of the wedding Azazel was sleeping in a separate hotel for the night which gave them both some space, though Charles wondered whether that was really what they both needed right now.

When Charles next looked at the time it was 8:22, and immediately he panicked as he realised that he had essentially stood Erik up. Charles remembered some of his last arguments with Erik during their relationship, when Erik had accused Charles of neglecting him, and he knew that this wasn’t the best start if they were hoping to make a fresh go of things.

The alarm on Charles’ face must have been evident, as instantly Raven began to frown- demanding to know why Charles was suddenly so distracted. Charles bit his lip, debating exactly what to disclose to Raven; knowing that telling her about the developments with Erik would likely detract attention from Raven and that she would probably disapprove of that, particularly considering this whole event was supposed to be all about her.

Charles had never been a particularly good liar- he’d never had to be when he could just use his telepathy to convince people of whatever he wanted- but when it came to Raven such tricks were never a possibility. And so when Raven had shoved at him and asked again Charles had ended up confessing everything.

Raven listened as Charles briefly explained the developments between himself and Erik- telling her how it seemed like they were giving things another go, whilst staring down at the cup of tea in his hands considering he couldn’t meet her eyes. When he glanced back up he realised that Raven was crying silently, and immediately Charles reacted with dismay- reaching out towards Raven and starting to apologise.

“What are you apologising for?” Raven asked, swatting Charles’ hands away and reaching for a tissue.

“Well… for, I don’t know… being selfish? And pursuing my own happiness when I should have been thinking about you”.

Raven slapped his arm. “Charles, you idiot. I know I said this wedding was all about me, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to enjoy yourself. _Especially_ if that enjoyment involves Erik… You know how much I adore you guys”.

“You don’t think I’m making a horrendous mistake?”

“You and Erik may have _made_ some mistakes last time, but that doesn’t mean you _are_ a mistake overall. I think you’re both good for each other, you just need to learn to communicate a bit better. How is that going so far? Have you talked much or just…?”

Raven trailed off, raising her eyebrows at Charles pointedly, and immediately Charles began to blush as he recalled being on his knees in front of Erik in the shower earlier with his hand on Erik’s cock, getting distracted from the blowjob he was supposed to be performing by using the acoustics of the bathroom as he sang a brief rendition of _‘Reunited and it feels so good’_ to make Erik laugh.

“We, erm, may have got a bit distracted before we got around to the talking part…”

“Yeah, no surprises there…” Raven replied with a sly smile.

Charles matched the expression with a smile of his own, before glancing down at his watch and wondering how to broach the subject of leaving.

“Do you need to be somewhere?” Raven asked.

“Um, maybe… I was supposed to meet Erik for dinner, almost half an hour ago…”

“Well, go then, Charles- don’t stay here on my account”.

“But…” Charles started, thinking of the sadness he could still feel surrounding Raven’s mind and lamenting the idea of leaving her alone.

“Come with me”, Charles said abruptly.

“Huh?”

“Come with me- have dinner with me and Erik”.

Raven shook her head. “Charles, you don’t want me there…”

“No, I do- I’m sure Erik will too. Come on, Raven- it’s the night before your wedding; it would be rude not to celebrate with a few drinks”.

“Um, Charles…” Raven started, patting her stomach pointedly.

“Oh, right… Well, I guess I’ll have to do the drinking for the both of us”.

 

Although Charles knew he’d done the right thing by inviting Raven to dinner, he still didn’t know how Erik was likely to react to the situation. For all Charles knew he might be pissed off by Raven’s intrusion, but to Charles’ relief the immediate sense he got from Erik’s mind was joy at seeing Charles, slight confusion at seeing Raven, and then overall acceptance when he clearly filled in the blanks and realised why Raven was there.

For the rest of the evening Charles did as promised and drank to celebrate the impending wedding- sipping happily on champagne as he watched Raven and Erik talk to each other. They had always got on well, and Charles felt like it was a real privilege to be able to watch Erik in full-on protective mode; consoling Raven and offering sage advice.

Charles knew the goofy grin on his face was only partly due to the champagne, and it only increased when Erik glanced over at him fondly before reaching to hold Charles’ hand under the table.

 _“You’re a better man than you know…”_ Charles sent to Erik with his mind, and although Erik didn’t respond the corners of his mouth drew up in a slight smile.

 

Later that night Charles and Erik both walked Raven to her room, and Charles watched in amusement as Raven abruptly threw her arms around Erik in an empathic hug. Eventually Erik managed to extract himself from the embrace, and he said goodbye to Raven before wrapping one arm around Charles and beginning to steer him to his room.

Once inside Charles allowed himself to be overcome by the buzz of champagne and his desire for Erik- pushing Erik onto the bed and clambering on top of him somewhat inelegantly. Erik laughed at Charles’ boldness; sliding his arms to hold Charles’ waist and looking up at him affectionately.

“I love you when you’re drunk on champagne…” Erik murmured, before there was just a slight widening of his eyes as he realised his choice of words.

Charles didn’t balk. He knew how Erik felt, and it was wonderful to hear it again for the first time in over a year, even if the disclosure had been accidentally phrased.

Flashing Erik a sincere and wide smile, Charles leaned close and began to kiss Erik- hoping that his lips might convey his feelings even if they couldn’t quite form the right words.

Sometime later Charles lay beside Erik, resting his head against Erik’s shoulder and listening to the sound of Erik’s steady breathing. The light in the room was dim but Charles could see enough of Erik’s relaxed face to know that he was sleeping, and it prompted Charles to press a kiss to the side of Erik’s face just below his ear before whispering three words to him. Erik stirred slightly in that moment and Charles wondered if Erik had heard, but knew that he didn’t really mind either way.

 

 

 

On the morning of the wedding Charles left Erik’s room early, or at least he made a good go of it before he was hindered by Erik trying to drag him back into bed. Charles ended up in Erik’s lap, pushing weakly against Erik’s bare chest in an attempt to escape.

“Erikkkkk, come on- let go of me”, Charles whined. “I have to go- I’m giving Raven away in a few hours”.

“Hmm, is there some sort of Xavier giveaway today? If you’re up for grabs I might be interested, though I think I should get a discount as you’ve clearly been handled…”

At that, Erik leaned forward- pressing his mouth to Charles’ stomach and beginning to nibble at Charles’ skin. The sensation made Charles’ squirm, particularly as Erik’s hair was brushing against his skin and making him tingle.

“Nooooo, stop it, Erik…” Charles mildly protested, sliding his fingers into Erik’s hair and gently pulling Erik’s head away. He gazed down at Erik, finding himself completely captivated by Erik’s expression as his desire rose in an almost Pavlovian-like response to Erik’s touch.

“I need to go…” Charles reiterated, though he was no longer trying to escape from Erik’s embrace. He ran his fingers through Erik’s hair, before tracing his thumb down Erik’s face and drawing it over the scar above Erik’s lip.

“Will I see you before the wedding?” Erik asked softly.

“Um, I don’t know…”

“It’s alright if you’re busy”, Erik clarified. “I’m just looking forward to us spending some time together. We never talked, you know, about… about Shaw, and what happened…”

“Do you want to talk about that?”

“I feel like I owe it to you”.

Charles smiled sincerely, before dipping his head to press a kiss to Erik’s lips. The kiss turned into several more before Charles felt ready to retract himself, but eventually he withdrew from Erik’s grasp and began to hastily pull on his clothes. When he turned back around Erik still hadn’t moved, though he had pulled the bedsheets down past his waist and was reclined against the pillows in an incredibly seductive pose.

Charles bit his lip to hide his smile. “You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?” he smirked, trailing his eyes down Erik’s naked form.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about…” Erik replied, angling his lips slightly more in Charles’ direction.

Charles felt desire flutter in his stomach in response and he was about nine inches away from giving in and jumping back into bed, but then Erik’s phone rang and he turned away from Charles- pulling the sheets back up to his chest as he reached to the side table to retrieve the device.

“ _Hallo? Ja, guten Morgen_ , mama… What? Well, no not yet but it’s only early and-- Alright… alright, mama I’ll have breakfast in a moment. Mm-hmm… Yes… Yes, we’ve spoken. _Nein_ , mama, you don’t need to do that… Mama… Mama, I’m perfectly capable of speaking to Charles myself! What? No, I’m not yelling at you… Mama, I’m not yelling at you! Oh _mein Gott_ …”

Charles began to smile widely as he listened to Erik’s half of the conversation. He stepped over to the bed- climbing onto the mattress and wrapping his arms around Erik from behind as he began to place kisses to the soft skin just behind Erik’s ear. Erik murmured lightly in response, but he managed to maintain composure enough to continue to speak to his mother.

“See you later, darling…” Charles whispered, pressing one final kiss to Erik’s skin before withdrawing.

 

 

 

Several hours later Charles was arm-in-arm with Raven as he walked her up the aisle. She looked beautiful- stunning in a lacy white dress with flowers in her blonde hair, and when she saw Azazel she burst into a delighted smile and Charles felt the pure love and joy coming off the both of them.

Charles knew they still had issues to work through and that married life wasn’t guaranteed to be easy, but like Erik had said- if himself and Charles could work through their differences, maybe there was a chance for everyone.

After reaching the front of the aisle Charles lifted Raven’s veil and leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek, before letting go of her arm and moving to stand and watch the ceremony.

As Raven and Azazel began to exchange their vows Charles glanced around the room, finding Hank watching the scene with an expression on his face that was both happy and sad, finding Emma and Logan not paying attention at all considering they were sat very close together and whispering to each other, and eventually finding Erik who was unsurprisingly focused on Charles rather than the actual ceremony.

Charles flashed Erik a brief smile before turning back to face the front of the room, watching as Raven and Azazel began to slide rings onto each other’s fingers. Charles reached into his pocket in that moment, tracing his fingers against the broken metal bracelet that resided inside- the item he’d kept with him almost every day since he and Erik had broken up.

As Raven and Azazel said their final ‘I Do’s and leaned in for a kiss Charles felt the metal bracelet shift in his hand, until it once again formed a perfect unbroken circle. Charles glanced over to Erik, finding Erik watching with a hopeful expression on his face that Charles knew the meaning of immediately.

Charles felt Erik’s mind in that moment- his dedication and devotion warming Charles’ soul. Part of Charles felt like this outcome was inevitable- like he was bound to Erik from the moment they first met- and even if the scientist in Charles didn’t believe in fate he knew that he’d like to.

Tracing his thumb against the initials ‘EML’ on the bracelet- reformed for the first time in over a year- Charles watched as Raven and Azazel began to walk arm-in-arm back down the aisle. Charles waited until they had left the room before he moved over to the seating area, walking over to Erik who stood up to meet him, and taking his place by Erik’s side- where he had always belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has left kudos and comments on this fic- the response to it has been absolutely amazing and it's made me so happy ^_^
> 
> I've really enjoyed sharing this story with you all, so much so that this might not be the last you see of this particular Charles and Erik...


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